Hermione's Story
by kipler
Summary: We all know Hermione Granger as the best friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. But where did she come from? This story takes you back to when she first got her Hogwarts letter, and tells you how that simple piece of parchment changed her life. COMPLETE! 6-25-12 This story is undergoing some editing for spelling and grammar mistakes as well as a few problems with the flow and plot
1. The unusual letter

"Hey! Granger! Where're you going? I need you to open this package for me! I need those huge rabbit teeth of yours!"

I walked away as fast as I could. It was the end of the first day of the last week of school. Excitement was running high, which meant most people were acting quite irrationally. Of course, when people were around me, they always did quite a lot of irrational things.

From the first day of kindergarten, my peers had been making fun of me for my bushy hair and my big buck teeth. Not to mention all the weird things that sometimes happened around me. In fact, Carver Lewis never let me forget the time Patrick Perks started throwing up after he told me that I was a cross-breed between a rabbit and a dictionary. I received a few violent threats after that one, which was disturbing as always, but not unexpected.

"And maybe my Gran can use some of that hair to knit my new sweater!" Carver called, Patrick as well as the rest of their gang laughing along with him. I turned the corner before they could say anything else. However, I did catch a glimpse of Brittany Morris, Eliza Rees, and Haden Nwosu laughing too.

They were the most popular girls in the school and were almost as bad for me to be around as the boys. Luckily, after this week, we would be starting high school and most people would end up at different schools. I myself, was going to City of London, School for Girls, and was quite excited. It was a beautiful building right on the Thames in the heart of London. It had quite a good reputation, and to say that I was thrilled when I got in would be an understatement.

Still though, I wasn't out of my personal hell quite yet. My eyes were burning. Even though I was used to this torment, it hurt every time. I cheered myself up with the fact that I could go home and burry myself in my new book. Just three more days, I reminded myself. Three more days.

"Oh cheer up Hermione!" said my best friend Fredrika. Really, she was my only friend. She was a bit bossy sometimes, but I enjoyed her company. She would also be coming to City with me in the fall, and while I was hoping to make lots of new friends, it was certainly nice to know at least one person.

She was rather chubby, with a round face and body that earned her the nick-name snowman. The fact that her thick, black framed glasses squeezed her oversized head making it constantly red and giving it a pinched look didn't help at all. However, unlike me, she had perfect teeth and her sleek blond hair was nice, apart from the fact that it appeared to be plastered to her because of her rather wide shoulders.

"At least they only make fun of your hair and teeth, you can fix that. I would have to loose about 20 pounds before they stopped calling me marshmallow."

"It's much easier to lose weight then to shrink your teeth," I reminded her.

"Maybe for you, but believe me, I've tried. I'm going to be fat forever."

We walked in silence before parted ways on the corner of Cross and Clifford. I walked down Clifford road thinking that Fredrika was actually right. They did only make fun of my hair and teeth. Once I was done with my braces, I could use some hair product and a blow drier and though it would take lots of effort, I would look just fine.

Only—only I'd still be very plain. I wouldn't have Brittany's stunning pale violet eyes, or Eliza's thick bright red hair. I wouldn't even have Haden's flawless, perfectly tanned skin. I would just be a girl with brown eyes and brown hair. There would be no reason for anyone to look at me over the girl I was standing next to.

The only thing that had ever set me apart was my grades. I buried myself in every book I saw, especially non-fiction. I often learned a whole year's curriculum a few years before it was taught!

I walked up to my front door and let myself in. Both my parents where dentists and worked until at least 5. I helped myself to a few sugar free snacks and dragged my backpack up to my room. I breezed through my homework, (I had learned about parliament in second grade) and quickly fed my fish, Cleopatra. Then, I picked up my book, Vietnamese Legends and buried myself in another world until my mum called up the stairs to me that dinner was ready. I hadn't even heard her come home.

I ate my ready-made lasagna quickly. I was dying to get back to the very interesting creation story I was on. My mum had other plans though.

"Tell me about your day Hermione." She always wanted to know everything.

"Not much happened. We learned about parliament and started working with exponents." I brought my dishes to the sink.

"How did that go for you?"

"Good I already know that stuff. Can I go—read my book now?" I asked tentatively.

Mum sighed. "Yes I suppose so."

I walked as fast as I could without running. I wanted to get away from my mum before she asked how the boys were treating me. When I was younger, I would complain about them to her, but as I got older, she pestered me about them every day to the point of insanity. A while ago, I had lied to her and told her that everything was fine now.

At about 9:00, I finished my book and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth with the special super strong toothpaste my parents made me use. Through the vent in the floor, I could hear my parents talking.

"I don't know Daniel; It feels like we're losing her! She spends all her time in books, never with any real people!

"Relax Cynthia." My dad said. "She just likes a good book, that's all. She's probably going through an awkward stage too. Once it's over, she'll go out with her friends again."

"I hope you're right, Daniel." My mum worried. "Most girls of her age are out having fun, awkward stage or not. It just doesn't seem right to prefer books to people!"

"She'll make plenty of new friends next year at City of London. Full scholarship! Can you believe it? All that time with the books is really paying off!" My mum chuckled a bit and their conversation turned to a different topic.

I spit out my toothpaste and walked back to my room where I pulled the covers up to my chin to ponder what my parents had said. I had never really thought about it, but was I supposed to have more friends? Was it my fault that nobody liked me? The more that I thought about it, the more I realized that I craved human company. And a human who wasn't bossy and loud like Fredrika. I always told myself otherwise, but I wanted to be like Brittany, Eliza, or Haden. I wanted people to move to the sides of the crowded hall at a glimpse of my bronzed skin. I wanted my shimmering red hair to command even a teacher's respect. But most of all, I wanted to call normal seeing a look of awe on the face of the person I was talking to as my pale violet eyes stared deep into theirs.

But it was true that I was one of only two in the school to get into City, and the only one to get a full merit scholarship! Haden didn't even come close, and she was widely considered the smartest girl in town. I had proved that I deserved that title, and that was what set me apart. When I started City in the fall, I would be smart, and if I was friendly, maybe people wouldn't care so much how plain I was.

I breezed through the last few days of school. I barely heard Patrick's regular torments, and the walks home with Fredrika were as silent as ever. I finished Vietnamese Legends, and went on to read Romanian Legends and Mongolian Mythology as well.

Finally it was summer. I was free of all bullies and awkward walks home. The first thing I did after breakfast was go to the library. I needed a good selection of books to start the summer right. I brought home about 2 bags full just in time for lunch. After eating my cucumber sandwich, I started my first book, Medieval Tales. I was really into this _Cultural Legends_ series. In the spirit of summer, I spread out a blanket under the single tree in my small back yard and read there.

As August was drawing nearer, even I was getting tired of reading. Unfortunately, I didn't have any friends to hang out with, so I decided to switch to one of the less explored genres of books, sci-fi.

One day, it was raining so I was reading _MARS MYSTERY_ on the couch. It was rather early but I never slept very much. My mum came down wearing a pair of pink scrubs.

"When you're ready, there are some toaster waffles in the freezer. Ok? Have a good day sweetie! Dad already left. He had to perform a surgery today."

"Have a good day Mum." I said without looking up. My book wasn't very good, but even so, it had some very interesting facts about Mars. I heard the door shut and the car pulling out of the gravel drive way. A few minutes later, I got up to make breakfast.

I was shuffling around the kitchen with the butter dish and a box of waffles when I heard the mail slide through the slot. I put a waffle in the toaster, and then went to pick up the mail.

I had an unfortunate habit of looking through the mail. There were a few bills, my mom's housekeeping magazines and then, I stopped short and looked more carefully at this one. It was a thick yellowish parchment envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Granger in emerald green ink. On the back, was a purple wax seal. Imprinted in the seal, was a crest of what I thought was a lion, an large bird, a badger or skunk perhaps, and a snake. In the middle of all of these, was a large capital "H".

This was the sort of letter you didn't see every day. I wondered if I should open it or not. It might have something in it that I wasn't supposed to see. But I didn't like my parents keeping secrets. If I was careful not to rip the seal, they would never know.

I gently pried the wax off the parchment and slid out the letter, written on the same sort of material. I unfolded it. Written on it, in the same emerald green ink was:

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger,_

_My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the headmaster at a school called Hogwarts. If it is at all possible, I would like to make an appointment with you to discuss the enrollment of your daughter, Hermione at my school this coming year. I would appreciate it if she could come to our meeting as well._

_Do not be surprised if you have never heard of Hogwarts before. Most people have not. We at Hogwarts accept only about forty people a year. Only about half of those are children whose parents did not come here in their youth._

_You are probably a little bit confused right now as well for you never applied for your daughter to come to this school. We at Hogwarts do not take applications. Every year, we do a nationwide search for worthy candidates. Hogwarts students are chosen, not accepted. _

_In conclusion, your daughter has been chosen by the Hogwarts admissions board. Please write back using the return address on the front of the envelope with a suitable date and time for our meeting. However, please do not mention this letter to anyone, as we at Hogwarts prefer to maintain secrecy. I look forward to seeing you soon!_

_Sincerely,  
>Albus Dumbledore<em>

I read the letter a few times. Then she slid it back in the envelope and carefully pushed the seal back down. I buried the letter back into the pile of mail and went to take out my waffle.

As I was eating, I thought about the strange letter. Wasn't it a bit late in the year to be accepted to another school? No, not accepted, chosen. That made it seem so much more spectacular. However, if they wanted me to attend so badly, shouldn't they have alerted me before any other school did? But it wasn't that that bothered me. I had plenty of schools begging me to enroll with them. But I had no idea that I was one of the 20 smartest 11 year olds in the country! They chose 20 people with family connections, and 20 people had to be so incredibly smart, they would show up when the whole country was searched! This was a huge accomplishment. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to go. My brains were the only thing that set me apart, and at a school like this, most of the people would be as smart as me, if not smarter. Though, I would probably get along better with people like that. Yes, when my parents got home, the first thing I would do was point out that strange letter and tell them to read it. But in the meantime, I would get back to my book.

I had trouble concentrating on my reading today, which was a first for me. Eventually, around 3 o'clock, I gave up completely and just pondered that strange letter. I tried to imagine a place even more wonderful than City of London, School for Girls, where I might learn something new.

My parents came home together, at about 5. My mum had a box of spaghetti in one hand, and a jar of tomato sauce in the other. When they walked in the door, I was on the couch pretending to read.

"How was your day? Learn anything you didn't know yet?" My dad asked. He was the funnier of my parents, but really, he wasn't very funny at all.

"No." I replied calmly.

"Big surprise." He muttered.

"Anything interesting happen?" My mum broke in, expecting the usual answer.

"Yes actually." I could tell that now was the time to say something. "When the mail came, there was this really weird letter addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I'm curious about what it says so could you maybe read it right now?" I walked into the kitchen, picked the letter out of the pile, and handed it to Mom.

"This is something you don't see every day." She commented. She turned it over and stared at the wax seal curiously for a moment before showing it to Dad and picking it off carefully. It was obvious that Dad really didn't care what was imprinted on the seal. I had my mother's love of learning, not his.

"Interesting…" she muttered before handing it to my dad. He read it with a confused expression on his face, before handing it to me. I read it again.

"Have you heard of this place Hermione?" Dad asked.

"No. I'm just as confused as you are," I reassured them.

"What should we do Daniel?" Mum wondered.

"Well, why don't we ask Hermione?" he suggested.

"What should we do, Hermione?" Mum asked again.

"Well, should we schedule a meeting…?" I trailed off when I pretended I couldn't think of any other options.

"Do you want to go to this school?" Mum looked a bit worried.

"Well, I suppose so; I'd want to find out more about it first though."

"I agree. I suppose the only way to learn more is to invite him here. How's Saturday for you Daniel?"

I smiled widely at the approval. "Thanks." I muttered.

"Works for me! But I'm hungry. How 'bout some spaghetti?" I sat back down on the couch while Mum started to cook, Dad chopping vegetables at her side.


	2. The Meeting with Dumbledore

**AN: Hey guys! When I posted the first chapter of this story, I never expected to hear anything about it ever again, but to my extreme surprise, (which is a little bit sad) I got a review! I would like to thank Anna Luna for her kind words. They mean alot to me! Anyway, I would like to say that this story has eleven chapters, all of which are fineshed, because I hadn't planned to post this story. I should be able to update fairily quickly if people want me to, but if no one wants to read it, there is no point in putting these up. So please R&R if you want to read more! I would really appreciate it**

I couldn't believe there was actually a possibility for me to end up at such a prestigious school. This morning, I had been perfectly happy going to City, but now knowing that there was an even better school I could go to, I wouldn't settle for anything less. I had to get in, and not just because I wanted to get the best education possible. If I did, the news would travel very fast, and even Brittany would end up knowing. Hermione Granger, the complete loser, was at the most prestigious school in the country. What would she think of that? I would tell Fredrika, who loved to gossip. She would then find someone else to tell, and then everybody would know. But for all this to happen, I would have to make a good impression on this man. Tomorrow was Friday, which meant that I would only have one day to plan out what I would wear, how I would act, what questions I would ask, and have a few answers ready to questions he would probably ask me.

At that point, dinner was ready. I gave my tired out mind a break, but promised myself I would work on all this tomorrow.

I slept soundly that night, but Hogwarts and its headmaster floated in and out of my dreams. I had 2 dreams about the meeting, one where it went perfectly, and one where it went horribly wrong. I also had numerous dreams about my first day of school.

When I woke up, I looked at my clock and realized that I had slept late. It was almost 9:30 and my parents would be long gone. I rushed through my breakfast and came back upstairs.

The first thing I did was lay back on my bed and imagine what I wanted tomorrow to be like. That always worked for me. I cleared my mind as best as I could, and closed my eyes.

_I was standing with my back to the door, crouching slightly so that I was underneath the window. Anyone standing outside would never know I was there. I was wearing a blue denim skirt, a tighter pale pink tank top and a white cardigan with three quarter length sleeves. I had smoothed out my hair and pulled it back into a low, loose bun. It was something that looked nice, but not like I had been obsessing over the meeting, which made me look very self-confident in a good way._

_The doorbell rang. I waited a few seconds before backing away from the door and standing up strait. Putting a smile on my face, I opened the door._

"_Hello! Welcome!" I said in a friendly voice, playing the part of the hostess._

"_Hello!" Said what I imagined Dumbledore to look like. He was a little bit taller than average height, and a little bit over weight. He was wearing an expensive looking black pinstriped suit and a crisp pale pink tie. He carried a thin leather brief case. "I assume you must be Hermione?"_

"_Yes! Very pleased to meet you." We shook hands. "Why don't you come in? My parents are waiting in the living room."_

"_Yes thank you very much." We walked to the living room. I was still smiling and standing very strait. I motioned to the most comfortable arm chair for Dumbledore to sit in. Before he sat down, my parents quickly introduced themselves and shook hands._

"_Hermione has been so looking forward to meeting you!" Mum gushed. I turned a light pink._

"_Yes, I have been looking forward to meeting you too! Never got less than a 105% on a test all year. Do you know how amazing that is young lady?" I turned a slightly darker pink and muttered something about school being far too easy for me._

"_Well let's get to the point. We want you, Hermione, to come study with us for the next seven years, on a scholarship. How does that sound?"_

"_Absolutely wonderful, Mr. Dumbledore!" I said proudly._

"_Hold on just a minute!" Dad laughed. "We need to know where you're going before we let you go."_

"_Ah yes I was just getting to that." Dumbledore explained. "Hogwarts is a school for particularly gifted children. It is a wonderful school in southern England, right on the seashore. It has beautiful grounds and the most excellent teachers. It is a boarding school so let me tell you about our dormitories. We have very large and comfortable dormitories with separate boys and girls sleeping areas and clean, modern, showers. We have plenty of places on campus to hang out with friends, and lots of activities from the chess club to the garden committee. I guarantee that you will always be entertained and the food is very good too."_

_Mum and Dad continued to ask an assortment of questions, until finally they agreed to let me go._

"_I look forward to seeing you soon, headmaster." I shook Dumbledore's hand outside the door._

"_As do I, Miss Granger. I can tell that we will soon have another excellent student in our midst."_

I opened my eyes, a real smile on my face. If the interview went like that, there would be no doubt that I would get into that school. I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out the exact outfit I had been wearing. I took out each piece carefully, as if it were a fragile porcelain plate, and laid it out flat on my desk. I then went into the bathroom to make sure we had the right kind of powerful hair smoothing product. I brought the bottle into my room, and set it down next to my clothes.

The next thing I had to do was practice speaking.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore!" no, too pompous. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore!" Too much flourish. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore!" Perfect! I had said it pleasantly. I had sounded mature and self-confident, yet sweet and young at the same time. I practiced it a few more times.

I practiced all the phrases I had heard myself say in my imagination, and also, standing, walking, and sitting up strait. By the time my parents came home for dinner, I was still worried, but I knew I had done everything in my power to make this go right.

"You feeling good about tomorrow, Hermione?" my dad asked.

"I am." I nodded my head. "I picked out my clothes and I know what I'm going to say. As long as you don't embarrass me, nothing should go wrong." My parents smiled at me.

"He should be coming at around 2 o'clock tomorrow. You'll be ready?" Mum asked.

"Ready and waiting at the door!" I smiled. The dinner conversation turned to a strange patient my mum had had today. After that, I brushed my teeth extra well and went to bed. I wanted to be well rested.

I woke up at about 8. I hadn't slept well at all, tossing and turning all night. It had been about 3 am when I finally fell asleep. Even so, my hopes of getting into this school burned inside me with eternal energy. I went down stairs to eat a quick breakfast, and then came back upstairs. I needed to start getting ready.

I took an extra-long shower. I shampooed my hair twice, and used mum's extra strong conditioner. I rubbed myself down with my favorite soap, and rinsed myself thoroughly before I got off. I took out the hair smoothing product and rubbed a bit in my hair before turning on the blow dryer. I dried every bit of water out of my hair before I wrapped my towel around me, and headed to my room.

I opened up my wardrobe so I could use the mirror on the inside of the door. I carefully pulled on my skirt and straitened it before pulling on my shirt. I brushed through my hair more than I really needed to. Then, I bent over and pulled my hair into a low pony tail. I took another hair tie, and secured it after wrapping my ponytail around itself. It didn't look perfect so I tried until it was. Then, I pulled on the white cardigan, leaving it unbuttoned. I looked in my wardrobe and decided my favorite leather sandals would be a good choice, so I slipped them on.

I turned around, trying to see myself from every angle in the mirror. I looked as good as I was ever going to, so I closed my wardrobe and went downstairs for lunch.

"You look lovely!" Mum crooned when I entered the kitchen. I gave her a half smile and sat down in one of the chairs. I felt a bit dizzy.

"You ok, Hermione?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous. I really want to get into this school."

"Understandable." She assured me. The smell of food was making me feel nauseous.

"Do I have to eat?" I asked her.

"It would be better if you did," she thought for a moment. "But nervousness makes your body all funny. If you don't want to, you don't have to, but you won't want you stomach making funny noises all through the interview." I smiled.

"I don't think my nervousness will be lifting any time soon."

I walked out of the room to go sit on the couch. I needed some time alone to try and calm down. I took a few deep breaths. No one besides my parents knew about this interview. If I didn't make it, I would still be going to City. That would still be better than most people I knew. But the disappointment would still be huge.

The next 2 hours went by slowly. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up. When the doorbell rang at 2 o'clock on the dot, I was waiting, crouched beneath the window as I had planned.

I waited a few seconds before straitening up and turning around. I didn't want to seem too eager. I took a deep breath and pulled open the door, with what I hoped was a pleasant smile on my face.

What I saw sucked all the air out of my lungs. The man in front of me looked nothing like what I expected the headmaster of a school that admits 40 people a year to look like.

Albus Dumbledore was tall, thin, and very, very old. He had long white hair that he could tuck into his belt. His white beard was just as long. He was wearing what appeared to be robes, in a dark midnight blue color. They fell down to his ankles, exposing black what appeared to be leather, chunky heeled boots. But most peculiar of all, were his piercing blue eyes. From behind the half-moon spectacles that rested on his very crooked nose, they appeared to see right through you, to your very thoughts.

I realized I was staring and forced a smile back onto my face.

"Hello!" he said. He had a very kind voice. That was a good sign. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I believe you so kindly invited me here today?"

"Y-yes." I found my voice. "Yes, right this way." As we were walking down the hall, I couldn't help but wonder if this school was some sort of hippie institution. That would be very disappointing, as I had been expecting something rigorous and academic. Dragging me from my thoughts, he said,

"You must be Hermione?"

"Yes." I smiled and held out my hand. "Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore."

"Pleased to meet you as well Hermione!" he shook my hand with surprising strength for such an old man.

At this point, we entered the living room. I heard a collective gasp from my parents. Dumbledore did not seem phased by this. He was probably used to it.

"Good afternoon! I am Albus Dumbledore. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

My parents only kept calm because they knew how important this was to me. "Cynthia." My mum said rather weakly. "Pleased to meet you."

"Daniel." Said my Dad, while he was shaking the strange man's hand.

Dumbledore sat down without being asked. I had to admire how little this man seemed to notice the staring, and how friendly and forward he was. It seemed as if he was used to this. But no matter how strange the headmaster was, I still wanted to go to this school. I tried to break the awkward silence.

"So, you're the head master of a school called Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Dumbledore seemed relieved that I had started the conversation. "I am here today to discuss with you the possibility of having you as one of our students."

"I would love to be one of your students!" I said quickly, hoping I sounded enthusiastic, and that this school was really what I thought it was.

"Hold it, hold it!" Dad laughed nervously. "Why don't we learn a bit about this school before we enroll our daughter? We wouldn't want her in Australia!" He stopped laughing quickly at the exasperated look on my face.

"Yes, yes! Of course! That _is_ why am here." Dumbledore laughed understandingly.

"Well, go ahead." Mum urged him on. "Let's hear it."

"Hogwarts is a school for—very talented children." Dumbledore still did not appear to be nervous at all, but he did however seem to be choosing his words carefully.

"Yes, Hermione is very talented!" Mum crooned. Dumbledore cut in quickly.

"I am aware that Hermione is incredibly smart, however, Hogwarts looks for a different kind of talent in its students."

My heart sunk. Hippie school. I knew it.

"Well, what kind of talent then?" Dad looked perplexed.

"Hogwarts—Hogwarts is a school of magic."

Oh, never mind then. Not hippie school, trade school. Even worse.

The change in the atmosphere was almost instantaneous. Dad stiffened in his seat and Mom looked weary. For someone who had just said something so stupid, Dumbledore was very relaxed. He picked up a coaster on the table next to him and examined it.

"You wouldn't happen to have any apple juice would you?" He asked as if it were perfectly normal to ask for apple juice while trying to recruit a young girl to become a magician.

"Yes of course." I ran off to get him some sugar free apple juice from the fridge. Walking slowly back into the room, I handed Dumbledore the glass, which he drained in one long sip.

Dad raised his eyebrows.

"So you want to teach our daughter a few magic tricks?"

"No—no not like that. Your daughter is gifted with magic powers." Dumbledore's voice was still pleasant and casual.

Dad sighed. "If this is some kind of joke, I'm going to have to ask you to—"

"No, no!" Dumbledore laughed. "I assure you this is 100 percent true! Here—watch." Dumbledore smiled and pulled a long polished stick from inside his robes. He pointed it at the empty cup he was holding and flicked it a bit. A jet of bright light shot out of the tip. When it hit the cup, it shrank down into a toad. Mum screeched. Dad looked rather surprised.

"You see?" Dumbledore said with a small smile and a glint in his eye. "Ever since all the witch trials in the renaissance era, the magical community decided it was best that we stay separate and secret from the non-magical community. But we do exist. And Hogwarts is the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in this area, perhaps the world." He flicked his wand at the toad, which was starting to hop away. It turned back into a glass cup.

"Can you do some more?" I asked excitedly.

Dumbledore laughed pleasantly and flicked his wand again multiple. The cup turned into a rose, then a book, a small pot, a clucking chicken, and then finally, he changed it into a small yellow candy, which he then proceeded to eat.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked quietly.

Dumbledore laughed even more loudly. "No, no. I assure you that you are very awake."

I pinched myself. Multiple times. Nothing happened. Yes, I was awake.

My heart sank a bit. After seeing all that, I had to admit that it was magic. I never believed anything without sufficient proof, and there was honestly no other explanation. But I could never attend Hogwarts. I didn't have magic powers. I could get into any school in the world probably, but the one I wanted to be a part of more than anything was the one I simply couldn't join.

"I can't do that." I told Dumbledore sadly.

"By the time you graduate Hogwarts, you'll be doing that with ease, and more. We've seen that you're a fast learner, Hermione. Magic is complicated, but in a few years, I daresay that you'll be one of the greatest witches of our generation." Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes twinkled with secret knowledge.

I sighed. "What I mean is that I actually can't do that. I don't have magic powers."

Dumbledore looked like he understood. He looked right at me, a small smile on his face as always. "Hermione, have you ever made something you couldn't explain happen? When you were angry or scared?"

I thought about it. Suddenly, the image of Patrick Perks vomiting on the ground came into my head. I remembered how when I was younger, books on the highest shelves would float right into my arms. One time when I was three years old, I hadn't brushed my teeth, but when Dad asked to smell my breath, it was miraculously minty.

"Now that I think about it, I guess I have!" I smiled, though a small part of me still felt extremely gulible. "So I'm a—witch?" This could not be true.

"Yes." Dumbledore smiled back. "Here, this might explain things a bit more." He handed me a thick parchment envelope, like the one I had received in the mail. I opened it up and pulled out a sheet of the same parchment

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL_  
><em>of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY<em>

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_  
><em>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock,<em>  
><em>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)<em>

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._  
><em>Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.<em>

_Yours sincerely,_  
><em><strong>Minerva McGonagall<strong>_  
><em>Deputy Headmistress<em>

I looked up from the letter and passed it to Mum. A huge smile grew slowly onto my face. I was a witch! A witch! With magical powers and everything! By the time I was done with school, I _would _be the greatest witch of the generation, just like Dumbledore had said. This was something I had never even dreamed of! Something Brittany, or Eliza or Haden would never have!

Dad finished reading the letter and put it down slowly on the table. His hands were shaking and he looked beyond shock.

"Magic—witch—Hermione?" he choked out.

"Yes." Dumbledore's voice was steady and calm like he had dealt with this many times. "I daresay that you're taking this far better than some of the other parents. In fact, just yesterday, one father tried to attack me. And last week, a mother pelted me with antique vases. Yes, your daughter is a witch." He chuckled a bit at his own stories.

Dad nodded slowly. Mom, however, was better at dealing with her surprise.

"Well, if we are going to send our daughter to this school, we still need to know about it. Why don't you tell us what it looks like?"

"Yes, yes of course." Dumbledore nodded quickly. "Hogwarts is a castle in northern Scotland—"

"A castle?" I interrupted.

"Yes, a castle." Dumbledore didn't seem to mind that I'd interrupted him. "We have lovely grounds, which include grassy hills, a lake, and a forest that looks very nice but is off limits."

"Northern Scotland." Mom murmured to herself. "But, then it'll be a boarding school?"

"That's right." Dumbledore said brightly. "The Hogwarts express takes students to and from Hogwarts at the beginning and end of the year. And, of course, Christmas and Easter if they choose to come home."

"So, you have dormitories and food?" Dad finally came to.

"Yes. There are 4 dormitories. Each dormitory is the living quarters for the students of one house, which are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each student will be sorted into one of them, and will stay in that house for all 7 years at Hogwarts. Each dormitory has a comfortable common room with a large fire place and lots of couches and armchairs. There are separate sleeping areas for boys and girls. Each area has 7 rooms, one for each year, and bathrooms with showers.

"And the food is very good, if I do say so myself. We have feasts at the start and end of every year, and on holidays, like Halloween. I strongly believe that experience is the best teacher, so while we do have a few strict rules, students are mostly free. They can come or go to meals as they wish, the library is always open, and if they miss a class, it's simply a one hour detention. It is the student's responsibility to make up any missed work."

Mom and Dad asked several more questions about the punishment system, grading policies, teacher background checks, everything they could think of. I listened attentively, but was dreaming at the same time.

I imagined myself sitting on one of the couches surrounded by friends. I was helping them with their homework but we were laughing and talking at the same time.

Finally, Dumbledore stood up. "I have to be going now. I have many families to break this news to." He smiled. "However if it is alright with you, I will be back in 2 weeks to escort Hermione and yourselves to where school shopping can be done."

"It needs to be done in a special place?" Dad asked.

"Well of course. Magical items are only found in magical stores. Can you imagine, walking into a trick shop and asking for a real magic wand?" He laughed loudly at his own joke, then became serious again.

"In the meantime, I must ask that you do not tell anyone else about the magical world. We are kept separate for a reason. If Muggles, the word we use for non-magic people, were to know about us, our worlds could no longer be peaceful."

"I won't tell a soul!" I promised.

Dumbledore looked pointedly at Mum and Dad.

"Your secret is safe." Mum assured him.

"I won't tell." Muttered Dad. He was still a bit dazed.

Dumbledore smiled widely again. "Wonderful. Two weeks exactly. See you then." With that, he turned on the spot and disappeared with a pop.

I sighed in admiration. One day I would be able to do that.

"That was rather unexpected." Mum commented. I laughed a shaky laugh.

"It was, but appreciated none the less." Mum laughed. "Maybe I'll make some new friends. That would be nice. But magic! Wow! I never dreamed…"

Dad sighed and got up. He clearly needed time to himself before he accepted this. But once he did, I had no doubt he would be totally supportive. I sighed and got up too. It would probably be a good idea to leave Mum alone. But I wasn't sure how long I would be able too. I was absolutely positive that there would be nothing but magic on my mind for a while. Dreaming would be enough for a short time, but soon, I would have to talk to someone. What I needed was a book on magic. But I would have to wait 2 weeks for that.

**I love you all for reading! It means a lot to me!**

**~Kipler**


	3. The Visit to Diagon Alley

**AN: So This is chapter three of eleven and I'd like to dedicate it to Anna Luna cause she's the one who keeps reviewing. Thanks soooo much! Your efforts are greatly appreciated. I'm not sure if this chapter is as good as I would have liked it to be because I've never liked writing about Diagon Alley for some reason. It just feels very repetitive. I also felt the need to explain everything for some reason, so you might find yourself reading the description of floo powder of the Hogwarts uniform even though it's already in the book. Once I wrote it, I couldn't figure out what to replace it with. R&R please! **

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><p>A predicted, the next 2 weeks were very long. Hogwarts wove in and out of my dreams at night, and I thought of nothing else while I was awake. Even books couldn't satisfy my restless mind. I spent my lonely days dreaming about my new life as a witch, and in the evening, I told my fantasies to my parents. At first, my dad would try to add in funny parts, while my mom scolded him. But after a while, they grew tired of hearing the same thing over and over. I was forced to write them all in my diary. But time will always pass eventually, so finally, the day I was waiting for came.<p>

I looked through my wardrobe. For this event, I would need something that looked casual, like I hadn't been worried, but nice looking because I didn't want to seem like I didn't care. I finally decided on a soft and loose powder blue peasant blouse that had a tactile pattern around the neck line. The sleeves were short and loose, but had a band of elastic at the end. The waistline was the same. I picked out a pair of short, tight khaki shorts for the bottom, and the same pair of brown leather sandals I had worn for my meeting with Dumbledore.

At 11 o'clock precisely, the door bell rang. Albus Dumbledore was waiting on the doorstep, exactly how I remembered him, except his robes were hunter green today.

"Good morning!" he smiled a small smile. "I'm going to show you how to get to Diagon alley, but then, I must be off. A slight problem has arisen with the centaurs in the forest that I must sort out." He walked through the door without being asked.

I shut the door, bewildered, and went to look for him. _Ceantaurs? _I found him in the living room, where my parents had been waiting. He was pointing his wand at the fireplace. A jet of light shot out of the tip, and the fire was suddenly there, as steady as if it had been burning for hours.

"The quickest was for an underage wizard to get to Diagon alley is by floo powder." At the blank looks of everyone in the room, he continued. "Wizards can travel by fire, but since your parents are muggles, Hermione, we will need to help them a bit."

I was ecstatic. My first magical experience! And I could share it with my parents.

"All you do," Dumbledore explained to me. "Is throw this powder in the fire." He threw some dusty substance into the flames, and they turned bright green. "Now, you can step into the fire. Grab the hands of one of your parents, they must stand outside the fire, and then say where you want to go: Diagon Alley!"

Dumbledore stepped into the fire. I couldn't see any evidence of being burned. He held out his hand. My mom hesitantly stepped forward.

"Are you watching, Hermione? Ok—Diagon Alley!" As Dumbledore said these words, the flames rose up momentarily, my mom appeared to be sucked into the fire, and then they were gone.

I slowly stepped forward and threw more powder from the bag Dumbledore had left into the flames. I gulped and put the tip of my sandal in. The pleasantly warm flames tickled my ankle. I stepped in all the way.

"Are you ready Dad?" I held out my hand. He sighed and took it.

"I really hope this works, Hermione."

"I trust professor Dumbledore." I hadn't really realized this until I had said it out loud, but when I thought about it, you really couldn't help but trusting this man. There was somthing about him that made you believe him completely.

"Ok." I took a deep breath. "Are you ready? Er—Diagon Alley!" I shouted the last part. Almost immediately, I started to spin. I was spinning faster than I had ever spun. I hung onto my dad's hand for dear life. I chanced opening my eyes. I could see glimpses of other rooms, but they were gone before I could really see.

The ride was over as suddenly as it had started. I rolled out of a different fire place, to the feet of my mother. I stood up and brushed the soot off my clothes, then stomped my feet to clean off my sandals.

I looked around for the first time. I was in what appeared to be a pub. There was an old man behind the counter, and several tables.

"Mornin' Dumbledore!" said the man behind the counter.

"Good morning Tom." Dumbledore nodded curtly. "Follow me to Diagon Alley." He started walking toward a door. We followed.

When I stepped over the threshold, I saw that we were in a small courtyard surrounded by brick walls. I followed Dumbledore over the small patch of sparse grass to a trashcan. He pulled out his wand and tapped one of the bricks. Almost immediately, a hole appeared where that brick had been. It grew and grew until it was an archway, large enough for a large person to go through. Dumbledore stepped through it.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley!" Dumbledore smiled. "All right. I must be off now. You have you supply list Hermione?" I nodded. "Good. That white building at the end of the street is Gringotts. You can exchange your muggle money there. Goodbye." He disappeared just like he had last time.

The first thing I did was take out my supply list and read it for the millionth time.

_UNIFORM:_  
><em>First year students will require:<em>  
><em>Three sets of plain works robes (black)<em>  
><em>One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear<em>  
><em>One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)<em>  
><em>One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)<em>

_Please note that all pupils clothes should carry name tags_

_COURSE BOOKS_  
><em>All students should have a copy of each of the following:<em>

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_  
><em>A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot<em>  
><em>Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling<em>  
><em>A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch<em>  
><em>One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore<em>  
><em>Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger<em>  
><em>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander<em>  
><em>The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection<em>

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_  
><em>1 wand<em>  
><em>1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)<em>  
><em>1 set glass or crystal phials<em>  
><em>1 telescope<em>  
><em>1 set brass scales<em>

_Students may also being an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

I took a deep breath. "Let's go." I said to my parents.

We walked down the street toward the magnificent white marble building. We walked up the steps and through the silver and gold doors. I had to stop myself from screaming at what I saw inside.

The interior of Gringotts Wizard Bank was very grand. There were high ceilings with crystal chandeliers. However, where the teller would usually sit behind the counter, were the strangest creatures I had ever seen. They were small, with long noses and small sharp teeth. Their pointy ears stuck out of their wispy hair, while their beady little eyes scrutinized me. I bravely walked up to the closest one.

"Hello. Um—I would like to—um exchange muggle money…"

The creature stared down at me from its high stool. It held out its hand. I turned around to ask Mom for some money. To my surprise, she was already handing me about ₤300.

"You can use the rest of it for your year." Mom smiled at me.

I handed the money to the creature who shuffled around behind the counter, returning with a large bag of gold silver and bronze coins.

"Here you are miss…" It said almost nastily while scrutinizing me. I looked down to see if there was something wrong with my clothes.

"Thank you." I replied. I grabbed the bag and walked out as fast as I could.

Once outside, I checked the list again. "The first thing we should get is my uniform."

"Where are we going to get that?" Mom asked me. I looked up the street at all the awnings.

"Probably Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions." I started to walk toward that store.

When we walked in, a plump woman came running up to us. "Hogwarts dear? Right this way."

She led me away to a platform with differently angled mirrors. I jumped up onto the first one, while the lady who must be Madam Malkin bustled around. She came back and slipped a black robe onto my back. She started sticking pins everywhere, the sleeves, the waist, the hem, anywhere she thought needed adjusting. When she was done, she tapped the robe with her wand. All the pins came flying back into her hand, but the robe stayed the way it had been adjusted. She repeated this process with the other 2 robes. When she was done, she picked up the whole bundle and trotted over to the counter. She set down the robes and waved her wand so that another bundle of cloth flew over to the counter.

"Ok." She started talking in a tone that said she was going to be talking for a while. I got ready to remember everything she said.

"Let me explain your Hogwarts uniform. You have to wear it for all your classes, at meals, and all other school activities. You may wear your own clothes on weekends, in the dormitories, and when you're older, in Hogsmeade.

"The first part of it is this plain white button down shirt. I'm stocking you up for the whole year, you have 10 long sleeve. You can roll up the sleeves depending on the weather. The next thing is the skirt. You can see that it goes to about your knees, and its pleated. You can wear either a black or grey one, I'm giving you 5 of each. The next thing is the tie. I'm giving you 3. Right now, its black, but once you get sorted, it will change to be stripped in your house colors. On top of that, you wear your sweaters. You have the option of wearing a sweater vest, or a long sleeved sweater. They are both grey, and I'm giving you 3 of each. Once you're sorted. There will be 2 stripes at the neck line of your house colors. You will wear either stockings, or knee socks, in grey or black. I'm giving you 8 stockings, 4 of each color, and 8 socks, 4 of each color. Your robes go on top of all of this. The lining will turn your house color, and the seal will appear on the pocket. So that's 10 shirts, 10 skirts, 3 ties, 6 sweater/sweater vests, 16 socks/stockings, 3 robes, and your winter cloak. I know that seems like a lot, but it's for the whole year, and that way you'll only have to do laundry every 2 weeks. You'll also need a pair of black dress shoes, but I don't carry them."

She took a deep breath and smiled.

"How come that's not on the list?" I asked.

"Everyone shops for uniforms here, so Dumbledore just trusts me to get you all this stuff." She replied. I nodded. "So that'll be 20 Galleons." At my look of confusions she said, "20 of the gold ones, sweetie."

I smiled and paid her. When I walked out of the store, I was carrying a very big bag.

"So where to next?" asked Dad. I fumbled with the bag to get the list out of my pocket.

"We have to find a book store."

We walked down the street, looking in the windows of different shops until dad said, "Look! I found one! Flourish and Blott's, it's called."

"Great!" I was excited. Books were probably my favorite thing in the whole world, and now I was in a book store dedicated to what I wanted to know most about.

When I walked in, I looked around. I could smell the scent of new pages in the air. It made my face tingle. I took out my list and looked at the 8 books I needed. I started off toward a rack of _THE STANDARD BOOK OF SPELLS_. Grade 1 was on the bottom shelf. I took my time getting the other books, picking up books for my own purposes on the way. By the time I set all the books on the counter, I had all eight books, plus _HOGWARTS, A HISTORY_ and _AN APRAISAL OF MAGICAL EDUCATION IN EUROPE_, and _BASIC HEXES FOR THE BUSY AND VEXED_. My parents wouldn't get me any more, as it was getting expensive.

"9 galleons please." Said the man behind the counter. I paid and took the other large bag.

I got my cauldron, scales, and vials, along with some potion ingredients I convinced my mom would be useful, but she didn't seem to need much convincing. Dad even told me to get some quills and ink and parchment from the stationary store. (Apparently wizards didn't use pencils.) I think my parents were just as excited about all of this stuff as I was.

Finally, the last thing on my list was a wand. A wand! The thing that would enable me to do everything I had been dreaming off! My key to the magical world! I could feel my heart beat quickening in anticipation as we walked up to the wand shop we had spotted while looking for cauldron.

"Ollivanders, makers of fine wands since 382 B.C." I read in a whisper. My mom placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Shall we go in?"

I looked up at her and smiled. "Let's. I'm ready"

I open the door and bravely stepped in. I could almost feel all the magic tingling on my skin before I even looked around. I was in a rather shabby shop. It was narrow, and had shelves upon shelves of narrow boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. Right next to the door, was a delicate looking spindly chair, which my dad motioned for my mom to sit in.

"Hello."

I jumped. I had not noticed the eerie man enter the room. The best word I could think to describe him was, white. He had sparse white hair, and very pale skin. His robes, (apparently wizards wore robes,) were shabby, but looked like the used to be white. Even his large eyes were paler than usual, a sort of whitish-grey that seemed to glow and reminded me of moons. The only thing about him that didn't seem white were his teeth, which were tinted an unnerving yellow.

The man continued to walk up to me until we were almost nose to nose. My mom backed away, but I, for some reason I couldn't understand, stayed forward. I guess I didn't want to prove myself a coward to the few wizards who knew me.

"Hello…" I said rather quietly.

"I don't seem to recognize you. Muggle born I suppose?"

Muggle born… muggle was what they called the non-magic people. So, could he mean I was from a muggle family?

"Er—yes, I suppose so. I'm, er—Hermione Granger." I supposed this was his way of asking who I was.

"Yes, yes, I thought so," he continued on. He didn't seem to realize how creepy he was. "You see, Hermione, I remember every wand I have ever sold, and I don't seem to remember anyone resembling you in the slightest. But since you are in here, I suspect you will be wanting a wand. How about some measurements then?"

He pulled a tape measure out of his pocket, pulled out the tape, and walked away while it started to measure every part of me it could reach. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't sure anything could surprise me anymore.

Once the tape had measured in between my nostrils, the man who must be Mr. Ollivander came back holding several long boxes he had taken off the shelves.

"Every Ollivander's wand is made using one of three cores. Unicorn tail hair, Phoenix tail feather, and dragon heart strings. No two wizards are the same, nor are any two wands. So, Miss Granger, the wand will choose the wizard, and we will go through every wand in this shop until we find the right one for you. Try this one. Maple and unicorn hair, 8 ½ inches."

He took a wand out of the first box and handed it to me. I took the wand, and stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Well, give it a wave then!" Ollivander cried.

"Oh. I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks. I hated not knowing something someone else did.

I waved the wand around, feeling foolish when nothing happened.

"No, no." Mr. Ollivander held out his hand for the wand back

While he was searching around in his pile for another wand, a thought hit me. What if none of the wands worked for me? What if Dumbledore had been wrong? I mean, magic had always been something I looked down on, a dream of someone desperate. And now, here I was, getting my very own magic wand. It didn't seem right. As much as I would love to, I couldn't be a witch!

I sighed and prepared to be let down as Ollivander handed me my next wand, hemlock, 11 ¼ inches, with a phoenix feather core. I waved it, and once again, nothing happened.

We continued this process until only a few unopened boxes remained in the pile. Finally, I was handed "10 inches exactly, dragon heartstrings, vine wood." As soon as I took a hold of it, I felt warmth shoot up my arm, directly into my heart. This wasn't a fantasy! I was a witch! I waved it, and a trail of purple sparks shot out of the end. My eyes started to prickle with tears of happiness as I struggled to hold them back.

For a moment, all was silent. I looked at the wand in wonder. Some day, I would be doing magic left and right, all with this wand. I was pulled out of this thought by my mother's gasp, several seconds late. It appeared she too was in shock. She gave a few short, quick claps while my dad smiled.

"Wonderful, wonderful miss Granger." Ollivander put the wand back into the box. He handed it back to me.

"7 galleons please."

I paid him and walked out of the store. We were done with my school shopping! My dad was carrying the bag with my uniform, my mom had my cauldron, which had the scales, telescope, phials and potion ingredients in it. I was carrying the large bag of books, which also had my writing supplies in it. In my other hand, I had the small bag with my wand in it.

"Why don't we get lunch from the place where we came in?" suggested Mom.

"Good idea!" I replied. I had only just noticed how hungry I was.

We walked back over to the brick wall where the archway was. I pulled out my wand and tapped a few bricks in the general area of the one Dumbledore had tapped, until the archway started to grow. Seeing it appear gave me enormous satisfaction.

I placed my wand in the back pocket of my shorts. We found a table and ordered some food. Most of the meal went by in a dream like state.

After we had all eaten enough, I went up to the counter where a man was polishing the old wood.

"Excuse me sir, can I please have some floo powder to go home?"

"Certainly!" he smiled and handed me a brown drawstring bag.

I walked over to the hearth, where a fire was crackling merrily. I threw some powder in, and set the bag on the mantle. After that, I stepped into the green flames and held out my hands.

"I guess I'll have to take both of you."

Both my parents grumbled a bit. It was clear they were not looking forward to this journey, but they still grabbed my hands.

"Er—ok. Granger Household!" I started to spin. I was praying that I had done it right. Luckily, when I fell out of the destination fire place, I recognized the rug on my living room floor.

I sat up and checked all the bags for damage. When I could see none, I flopped down on the ground and gave a huge sigh.

"What a fun day!" Mom sighed too.

"What a different day." Dad muttered.

I lay there, catching my breath, until I remembered the books.

"I'm gonna take the stuff up to my room now." I told my parents. I hopped up fast, grabbed the bags, and ran.

I set down all the bags as gently as I could, then grabbed the first book I touched out of the bag.

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><p><strong>I love you all for reading! It means alot to me!<br>**

**~Lulu **


	4. Platform nine and three quarters

**AN: Hey guys! Here is the fourth chapter of this story. I would like to dedicate it to Zapz because she was the first review for my last chapter. But I just want to take a second to thank both people who have reviewed my story. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Writing is somthing I've always done, just for myself. Writing is my favorite thing to do in my spare time and I was really worried when I posted this that no one would like it and that I would get discoraged and never write again. But I've been getting favorites, and alerts, and reviews and it makes me soooo happy. Anyway, I think this one is the shortest one yet, but I should be able to add the next one pretty soon. And incase anyone is wondering who the OC character is, it's Brittany Morris. I'm not sure if you remember her, but she was mentioned breifly in the first chapter. The next chapter and a few more later in the story are from her POV. **

**Disclamer: I've been forgetting to do these, but since nobody has sued me or taken my story down, I can assume that you all know I don't own Harry Potter. **

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><p>I read and re-read every book in that bag, never putting them down until August 31, when I realized I had to leave the next day.<p>

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE" I screamed. Luckily, I was home alone.

I looked through the "information for muggle borns" envelope Dumbledore had given me. It said that the Hogwarts express would depart from platform 9 ¾ at exactly 11 o'clock. I was to arrive at the station in muggle clothing, and everything packed in a trunk. I should leave a uniform packed on top of the trunk, so I could change on the train, and be in uniform by the time we reached Hogwarts. The platform was reached by running strait at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. My parents would be able to go through if I held their hands.

I carefully started to pack things up. I stacked all my books in one corner. My cauldron with the scales, vials, and ingredients in the next one. Then, I took, 1 long sleeve shirt, a tie, a vest, a black skirt, a pair of black tights, and one robe. I thought the tights and long sleeve shirt would look more formal, for the first day of school. I set them aside, and packed the rest of my uniform in the next corner. In my last remaining corner, I picked out my favorite muggle clothes and folded them in. 3 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of comfortable grey sweatpants. 3 short sleeve t-shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, and 2 sweaters. I also put my pair of brown sandals, my worn out running shoes and my comfy sheepskin boots for the winter. I might have been over packing, but I wanted to be prepared. I put my uniform for tomorrow on top, and I put my underwear and socks in the shelf that popped up when you opened the trunk. My writing supplies went in the pocket.

I opened the trunk again and tried on my uniform for tomorrow. I decided on a simple black headband for my hair. I sat down on the bed and pulled on my shoes. Shiny black leather Mary-Jane's with a Velcro strap and sturdy, flat rubber soles. They looked nice, but would hold up all year.

I walked around a bit to test them out. They fit perfectly.

Suddenly, I remembered Fredrika. I walked downstairs and dialed her number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Freddi, it's me, Hermione."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I just thought I should tell you, I got accepted to this other school this summer, and I'm going, and it's a boarding school, so I won't be around." I could barely hide the excitment in my voice.

"Oh. Cool. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Cool."

"I know! The headmaster sent this letter telling me I was accepted, and then he came a few days later to tell me about it."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. He said that the only accept 20 people without family connections a year!" I hoped that got to Brittany.

"That's great. What's it called?"

"Hogwarts."

"Weird name."

"Yeah. So anyway, I was just calling to say bye."

"Well, bye then."

"Yeah, bye."

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I, you know, tell people about this?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Great. Will you be home for Christmas?"

"I think so."

"Well, see you then."

"Yeah. See you at Christmas."

"Bye, Hermione."

"Bye."

I hung up feeling very sly. I knew Fredrika would tell everyone she knew. She loved to gossip. I would love it if this made it to Haden, or Eliza, or Brittany's ears. Remember Hermione Granger? That freak? Yeah? Well she got accepted to this super prestigious school. But they couldn't even get into a school that didn't have to admit them.

Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Fredrika had always been the only one who was nice to me. After I made a few friends, I would find some way to pay her back.

I barely touched my dinner that night. But my parents didn't force me. They knew how I was feeling.

I didn't sleep that night either. I tossed and turned all night, with a mixture of nerves and excitement making it feel like my butterflies had been replaced by stampeding buffalo.

When I saw that it was 7 o'clock, I let myself get out of bed. I went into my bathroom and took an extra hot and long shower. I brushed out my hair, not bothering to blow dry it. I wanted a more care free look today. If I was going to make friends, I didn't want to seem to careful about my appearance. They wouldn't want to friends with someone beauty obsessed, and first impressions are everything.

I walked into my room and opened my wardrobe. I hadn't let myself pick out my clothes yesterday, so I would have something to do.

I pulled on a set of underclothes, and started rummaging around in my drawers. It was supposed to be about 80˚F today. I had to pick out something summery, but nice looking. It could be casual, because I probably wouldn't be wearing it for too long.

I finally decided on a white skirt, made out of thick white material that hung strait and loose on my legs. On top of that, I wore a plain short sleeve, V-neck pink shirt, with a blue, zip up hoodie for the air conditioned station. I was originally going to wear shorts with this outfit, but I really wanted to wear my uniform shoes and they would look weird together.

I dressed and pulled my hair into a tight pony tail. I spun around to get a better look at my outfit in the mirror. It was semi fancy, with the fancy skirt and shoes on the bottom, and the casual shirt and hoodie on top. If someone saw me walking through the station, I would look just like a normal girl heading to my first day of school. Exactly like I wanted.

My shoes made soft thunking sounds on the way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I slid into a chair without speaking.

"You look lovely." Commented Mom.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"You nervous?" asked Dad. I nodded. "Don't be. I can tell you've done everything you could to make this go perfectly. You've planned out how this whole week is going to go, and I heard you practicing talking to new people in your room."

I blushed. But I appreciated my dad's words.

I ate my breakfast as slowly and silently as I could. It struck me, that after 11 o'clock, I wouldn't see my parents until Christmas, and that I should talk, but I couldn't bring myself to. They didn't seem to mind.

After breakfast, I lay on my bed trying not to hyperventilate. Finally, my mom called up that it was time to go.

I hyperventilated.

My breathing quickened. What if I didn't like this place? I would be stuck there all year with no escape! But I was sure I would like it. It was magic after all. I couldn't believe I was finally going to this place I had only heard of, this place of my dreams! I took one very deep, long breath, and forced myself to concentrate on the present.

I heaved my trunk and staggered downstairs, where my dad was waiting to bring it to the car. We all followed him outside. I heard the door of the boot slam, and it hit me.

"I'm going to be gone for 3 months." I whispered. "OH MY GOSH!"

Mom turned around and gave me that look mothers give when they're feeling happy, sad, and sentimental at the same time. "I know sweetie." She reached back to rub my arm. "We'll miss you. But I know you're going to where you belong. You'll find plenty of people just like you at this place. I'm so sure you'll love it."

I nodded, and brought up my legs so I could hug them to my chest. I sat like this the whole way to the station, while trying to contain all my excitement in my mind.

When we arrived, Dad ran in to get a trolley, while I tried to uncurl my stiff legs. I finally did, and was pacing nervously around when Dad came back. He heaved the trunk into the air, and onto the trolley.

"What do you have in here?" he asked incredulously.

"Everything I need for 3 months at boarding school." I smiled as I had never smiled before.

"So how do we get to this secret platform?" Mom asked.

"My packet says we have to go through this wall." I pointed to the brick support separating the 2 platforms.

"How?" asked Dad.

"We just walk through it. I think I have to hold your hands again though."

They held out their hands for me to grab. Dad was on the end, so he pushed the trolley with one hand.

"We should try to be a bit discreet about this. We wouldn't want any muggles to see!"

My excitement was starting to run high again, like every time I used magic. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

I looked around. No one was watching. I started to run, my parents jogging behind me. The bricks were coming closer and closer. I closed my eyes and braced for impact. I ran for a few more seconds, then stopped when I realized I should have hit the wall a few meters ago. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Instead of seeing hundreds of adults dressed in suits and several electric trains, I saw mostly kids. Kids from my age, to kids who looked like they should be just about out of school. The only adults who seemed to be around were parents, and a few lonely guards.

The only train I could see was a scarlet seam engine, with the words "Hogwarts Express" painted on the side.

I looked up and saw the sign that said, "Platform 9 ¾" My heart swelled with every good emotion there is. I closed my eyes and saved this moment in my mind forever.

Dad brought me back to the present by tapping me on the shoulder.

"Should we load your luggage onto the train?"

"Oh—well, yes, I suppose so."

Dad rolled the trolley over to one of the doors and I helped him heave the trunk up into the trains main hallway.

When I stepped out of the train, it hit me. Of course, I knew that I would be at boarding school from the very beginning. I knew that I would be in an unfarmilar place for 3 months at a time. But I had been so caught up with the whole magic thing that I hadn't realized what that meant.

I looked up at my parents with tears in my eyes.

"Oh, sweetie," my mom said pulling me into a hug. "You know we'll miss you. But I'm sure this place will feel like a home away from home in no time."

Dad pulled me into another hug.

"Bye 'Mione." He was never very good at expressing his feelings.

"I'll write as much as I can!" I told them tearfully as the whistle blew.

"Better get on." Said Dad.

"I love you!" Mom called.

I climbed up the stairs. I turned around and waved as the train started to pull away.

Once we were out of the station, I signed and grabbed the handle of my trunk. I hauled into an empty compartment. I dropped it with a grunt.

I struggled with the latch for a moment, the pushed open the top.

"You should get dressed before it's too late." I told myself.

I grabbed the uniform I had set aside and headed to the bathroom.

Once inside, I took off my white skirt and replaced it with a pair of sheer black tights and a black skirt. I took off my pink shirt and replaced it with a long-sleeve white button down shirt. I took my time tying the black tie that according to madam Malkin would turn out striped in the color of my house.

From what I had been reading, it seemed that I wanted to be in Gryffindor. That was the house where bravest people got sorted. I supposed Ravenclaw was ok too. But I wanted to be known for something more than my smarts. Hufflepuff, the house where the people who were quite average went, was better only than Slyterin, the house that had turned out the most evil wizards. But I would be happy no matter where they put me. This was an incredible oppertunity and I should be grateful just to be in any house.

I continued dressing. I pulled on the grey sweater vest, and finally, my robe. It was made of thick black material, that rested comfortably on my shoulders. The wide sleeves fell perfectly just an inch past my wrists, and the hem went exactly to the floor. The hood rested behind my head, hanging almost flat against my back, but not pulling on my neck.

I pulled the elastic out of my hair and smoothed it down with a bit of water before putting on the thin black head band I had packed.

I turned my head to the mirror. What I saw was not Hermione.

I saw a witch. A witch with intense brow eyes, and brown hair that was a bit bushy. She was in a school uniform, that fit her perfectly. With the look she was giving the mirror, and the way she was holding her wand, she was just as beautiful on the outside as on the in.

But most of all, she was a part of something. She was part of a community. She was the next generation of wizards, who would have the weight of the world on their shoulders. She was part of something important, no, she was important.


	5. Brittany's first day of school

**AN: Hey guys, so this is the fifth chapter of eleven. It's from the POV of Brittany Morris, one of Hermione's arch-enemies. It might be a little bit stupid, because it's pretty much focused on popularity, but when I was writing it, I was thinking like Brittany and that's how she thinks. I want to thank Anna Luna again for reviewing my last chapter. This one's for you. But anyway, Enjoy! R&R too, It means alot to me!**

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><p>And now, a day through the violet eyes,<p>

of Brittany Morris

It's the first day of junior high, and I'm stuck at the same old place. At the same old state school.

"Stop." I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. "It's not bad at all."

In fact, I was right. Reputation was the key word here. And if I had started at a new school today, I would have none.

At the Ramsgate state school, everybody knew that a glare from my pale violet eyes was the worst thing you could get.

I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the girl in the mirror. Perfect, was the first word that came to mind.

My summer tan from Italy left my skin smooth and caramelized. My platinum blond hair was in a low pony tail at the side of my head, running down my shoulder, all the way to my waist.

Even my clothes! It was the first day of the term. The only day we didn't have to wear the uniform. I was wearing a tight ivory colored tank top, that had 3 buttons undone. It really emphasized the shape of my body. Coming out from under the shirt, was a puffy violet skirt that went halfway down my thighs. It was patterned with white dots, of different levels of opaque. That, combined with the purple eye shadow I was wearing, really brought out my purple eyes.

"Brittany, I'm leaving!" my mom called up the stairs.

I slid on my purple flip-flops and ran down to meet her.

I jumped into the car with my backpack just as she was about to leave.

"Hurry up Brittany!" she said as I fumbled with my buckle.

"Genevieve said she got a new shipment of hats I need to see!" She slammed down the gas petal.

My mom managed a hat store in London. She was absolutely obsessive about it. She would make me walk the 2 miles to school if I was making her late.

She slammed on the brakes in front of the school with a screech.

"Have a nice day. Now go!"

I jumped out onto the pavement, and she sped away.

Immediately, I heard my name.

"Brittany! Hey Brittany! Over here!" I looked around and spotted Emily Shedd calling my name. I snapped my head away.

All the kids at school could be divided into six groups. Unpopulars, Semi-populars, and Populars. Girls and boys for each. Emily was the "leader" of the semi-populars. She was better than the unpopulars, but since I was a Popular, it would ruin my reputation to hang out with them.

You could tell which group every kid was a part of, just by looking around. All the unpopulars had formed their own sub groups. Skateboarders, encyclopedia nerds, gossipy mummies boys, ect. They were all scattered around the yard. The Semi-popular girls, were huddled in a circle, and the semi popular boys were huddled around behind Patrick and Carver, the popular boys, trying to find away to drag them away from Eliza and Haden, the other 2 members of my group, and my best friends.

Emily had stopped calling my name, so I hurried off to join Eliza and Haden. As I passed the gossipy mummies boys group, I heard Edwin Jones whisper to a new boy:

"That's Brittany. The one walking by right now? See her? She's the other one of the fantastic 5 I was telling you about. Look, she's joining them right now. Every guy in school wants to date her or one of her friends. But never ask them out. They will destroy you!"

I smiled a bit at that statement. As I got closer, I could see that Haden was talking fast and low, while Eliza was giving Carver googley eyes. At least she had learned that Patrick was mine.

Finally, I got close enough to make out what they were wearing. Haden was always the good girl out of the 3 of us. She dressed in a way that made teachers like her. She always wore her uniform the right way, and wore nice dresses on free days. But even at school, she would never hesitate to show off her perfect figure. She had skin the color of a flower pot, and long thick hair the color of dark chocolate. She had dark red lips, and dark brown eyes, like a doe's.

Today she wore her hair down, one side of it over her shoulder, the other behind. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress with thick straps and a V-neck. It had an empire waist, and fell down to her knees. It was patterned with pink roses, and was hemmed at the bottom by 2 lines of pink ruffles. She was wearing the same color pink ballet flats, and a purple-blue cardigan.

Eliza was the one who could never dress quietly. Teachers hated the way she cut her uniform skirt so that it was a mini skirt. They didn't like to see the way she ripped the sleeves off the shirts, and slung her tie around her neck. Today, her curly bright red hair that fell to her chin was pulled up into 2 puffs of pig tails on the side of her head. She was wearing a tight zebra striped camisole, tucked into a very short, high waisted gold skirt that was covered in sequins. She was wearing a black jacket that went down to her hips, and had ¾ length sleeves. For shoes, she was wearing chunky grey and white sneakers, with red laces.

I always thought of my style as in-between the two of them. I wasn't a good girl, like Haden, but I didn't tear my clothing like Eliza. I wore short skirts, but not mini skirts. I wore dresses, but not long ones.

When I finally reached them, Eliza had stopped staring at Carver, and was looking confused. Carver looked like he didn't care, and Patrick looked infuriated.

"Ok, what happened?" I didn't even bother to greet them.

Haden turned toward me, looking slightly apologetic.

"Emily told me, that Libby told her, that Fredrika told her, that Hermione Granger got into this really good school."

I must have looked confused because Haden kept going.

"You remember how Hermione and Fredrika got that letter that they had been accepted to City of London, school for girls?"

"How could I forget? They bragged about it to anyone they saw!"

"Yes well, Hermione's not going to City anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Fredrika told Libby, who told Emily, who told me, that Hermione got into a different school, called Hogwarts."

"What's so terrible about that loser going to a school with a loser name?"

"Brittany, Hogwarts is a really good school. Fredrika said they only accept 20 people a year without family connections!"

"So?"

"So we're all still here!" Patrick burst in. Everybody turned to look at him.

"We're all still here! State school Brittany, state school! We all applied to at least 5 other schools! Remember how we got together that one day and wrote all our essays together? Well none of us got into a single one! Now that low life, Granger is at some mega mind school, while we're still here! We, the fantastic 5 can't even get into a private school, while the walking dictionary makes the top 20!"

"Patrick. Calm down. It's ok—"

"It's not ok, Brittany!" Patrick interrupted me. "If that excuse for a human being, Hermione Granger, gets into a better school than Patrick Perks, something is seriously wrong! I will not have people thinking that a bushy haired rabbit is smarter than me!"

"Patrick, what do you want me to do about it?" I asked him.

"I don't know, I just can't believe—"

"Please don't take it out on us if you know we cant fix it." Eliza said stiffly.

"You know Liza's right, mate." Carver told Patrick in his deep voice, while Eliza smiled at her nick-name.

"I think it's great she got into that school." He continued. "You said it was a boarding school Haden? That just means we'll see less of her!"

"Less of her maybe, but what about my reputaition? Our reputations?"

"Please just grow up Patrick!" Haden pleaded. "At first I was happy I turned down City, but now if all you do is argue—" she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"City?" Eliza asked. "You got into City?" her voice rose in pitch with every word.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked exasperated.

"I didn't want to leave you guys, and if I told you, you might have made me go."

"You got into City and you didn't tell us?" asked Carver.

"I didn't want to—"

"I don't care what you wanted, Haden. We're your friends! You should have told us!"

"I just wanted to stay—"

"You should have gone to City." Patrick said, every word like a stab. "We wouldn't have missed you." He walked away. Carver gave her an apologetic look, and followed him.

"Carver wait for me!" Eliza didn't even look back.

I stood there for a second deciding what to do. I was mad at Haden. She had kept something very big from us. I looked at her face. Her eyes were filling up with tears, and her bottom lip was quivering. But I was so mad!

"I'm sorry." I whispered and walked away.

It was good that the rest of the day was made up mostly of name games. I don't think I could have concentrated on anything.

I thought about Hermione and that Hogwarts place all day. She was smart, I knew that. But was she really top 20 material? I supposed it was possible, but unlikely.

Even so, it didn't matter what the odds were. She was there, a school that accepts 20 people without family connections a year.

It was almost like my worst fears were coming true. Hadn't it been just this morning, I was worrying about still being in state school? One word had fixed it though. Reputation. But now, where was that invisible source of power? It was slipping away.

Atleast half the school must know the story of an Unpopular coming out on top. They all knew now, that we didn't really have any force over them.

I would have to show them this year. Find some other way to show my power. But if that didn't work, I didn't know what I would do.

Finally at the end of the day, I made up my mind. I walked over to Haden waiting for her mom by the curb.

"I'm sorry Haden." I said loudly.

She turned around and looked me in the eye. "I just didn't want to leave you guys."

"I know Haden. I'm sorry I walked away."

"It's fine Brittany."

"This whole Granger thing. What a mess."

"I know. What are we going to do?"

"We have to find some way to get her back."

"We can't get her back if she's at boarding school."

"True. I wish we could just erase this whole thing."

"Maybe we can."

"Hm?"

"If we just pretend like this never happened, like Granger doesn't exist, maybe people will forget about it."

"Yeah! People will just pass it over if we do."

"Exactly."

"You always have a good idea." I smiled at her as her car pulled up.

"I try to." She opened the door.

"Ill tell the other 3 about this tomorrow, after they've cooled down a bit."

"Thanks Brit. See ya!"

She closed the door, and I watched her car drive away.

I sat down on the curb with a sigh to wait for my ride.


	6. The Christmas Holidays

**AN: Um... Wow. I've never had so many reviews in my life! I posted the story at about 11:30, and then, when I went to go check my email my inbox was flooded with favorites, reviews, and alerts! I never even imagined having over twenty reviews! Thanks so so so so much! I'll hope you'll forgive me, but I lost track of who reviewed first. I think it was Rumbleroars Army, so this one is for you. But so many people reviewed, so I decided just to dedicate this to all of you... Anyway, I got sooo many reviews this time that I don't think I'll be able to reply to you all in one big paragraph like I usually do. This is going to be a rather long authors note... **

**_Rumbleroars Army:_  
>Thank you so much! It means alot to me that you like it! Here's your update! ;) <strong>

**_irezei:_  
>First, I really like your pen name. I know that has nothing to do with your review but I felt the need to tell you that... Anyway, I'm glad that you want to know the rest, and I agree that there are definitely some flaws. About Hermione sounding too grown up for and 11 year old, I've always thought of her this way because of how much time she spends with the books, but it's perfectly fine that you think that. I appreciate your feedback. And I also agree with you that Hermione's parents are too mellow. When I was posting that chapter, that was one of the problems I had with it, but when I tried to fix it, I wasn't really sure how. Mr. and Mrs. Granger are never really described in the books and I had a hard time coming up with personalities for them. When I tried to write them, there just weren't any sparks if you know what I mean. I hope you find their reactions better in this chapter. I think they are, but it's your opinion... <strong>

**_Cloggx:_  
>Again, I really love your username! And I love that you love, love, LOVE this story! :D I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear (or rather read) that someone thinks that. I guess I must have worked on this on and off for about six months before I finally decided to post it, so it really feels great to hear that my efforts are apprecitated. Here's the next chapter, and I hope its soon enough for you! :) <strong>

**_j1ack:_  
>That's exactly why I decided to write this story. Hermione's always been my absolute favorite character (tied with Dumbledore) and I've always felt like she just sort of apeared into the world, and that she didn't have any past. I'm so glad that you think this story fits her, I worked so hard to make it seem as Hermione-ish as possible. I'm also really glad that you like the part where she is imagining the meeting. That's the sort of thing I do when I'm stressed and excited about somthing, and it just sort of came out in Hermione. It was fun to write it though, because I could never imagine Dumbledore as the kind of person Uncle Vernon would like... ;) And I'm sorry about the grammatical errors you found in chapter 3. I should probably let you know that I'm horrible at grammar, as I have yet to get an english teacher who knows what heshe's doing... English class has always been a disaster for me. And I don't like to use spell check because most of it just tells me I've spelled the words of J.K. Rowling's invetion wrong. I'll try to do better for the next chapters, and I hope it didn't stop you from reading or anything. **

**_Anna Luna:_  
>First, I would like to thank you for all your reviews to the other chapters. You were my first reviewer ever and you've been with this story since the day it was posted. You always have such nice things to say and I always appreciate them more than you could ever know. I hope you stick with this story till the end. :) <strong>

**_jules:_  
>I'm so glad you think this is good. Like I've said while answering other reviews, I spent a long time on this and I'm glad so many people like it. I've always been so insecure about my writing and it's people like you who are helping me gain my confidence. <strong>

**_Lolee Ann:_  
>Again, I'm so glad you love this story so far! I've always wondered about Hermione's past too, and that's why I decided to write this. I spent such a long time searching the net for any interviews with J.K. Rowling or fanfics that would give me any answers to my questions, but I didn't find any so I decided to make them up. And this way, the answers don't disapoint me like some do because they're exactly what I want! ;) And don't worry! I have no intetion to stop. It's the people like you who read my work who will always keep me going. <strong>

**_Vitzy:_  
>Wow! That was alot of reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. I think I'm going to have to do this reply in sections... All the feedback will be so helpful when I edit the next chapters! I'm so happy that you liked it and thought the Grangers took the whole 'magic' thing well. A few people told me that they were too mellow, but I'm so glad that you thought it was alright. And don't thank me for the "awsome FF," thank yourself for the reviews because thats the kind of thing that will keep me going.<br>I'm so glad that you didn't think that chapter 3 was boring! I was so worried when I posted it that I would get a ton of hate mail from people telling me that they didn't read this fic to find out things they already knew. I was writing this for pleasure, so I wrote down all the details that were in my head but when I went to post it I thought that people probably didn't care about all the inner workings of my mind. So it especially means alot to me that you liked it. Also, I have to agree with you that writing from Hermione's POV has it's own charm. I've done a few experimental fanfics before this, but none of them were as fun to write as this one, which is probably why I kept going. I love the way she thinks! ;)  
>Again, I'm incredibly happy that you're happy that there are more chapters to come. This story is, in total, somthing like 65 pages long and I was worried that people would just get tired of it after a while. But if anything, it seems to be getting stronger! And I can't tell you how over-joyed (I'm trying to come up with more words for glad as I seem to be over using it) I am that this story "Brightens up your day" because I love to make people happy. I'm the kind of person who, at school, will do somthing completely stupid, make a fool of myself, and get detention just to make people laugh. It's quite a relief that I can "brighten your day" without having detention involved... :)<br>And lastly, you're not being silly! I'm sorry that I confused you about where she lives. I'm American, so I don't know much about British culture. That's why there's all the "american lingo" as you put it. So yes, Hermione does live somewhere in England, but I also don't know alot about the geography there, so I just had to make it up. At first, I tried to look up small towns and look at maps so I could be as accurate as possible, but it was really difficult so I just picked the name of a town to name her muggle school after (Ramsgate) and now it's up to whoever's reading this story to decide where exactly she lives. I love writing about muggles who know magical folks but don't know that their magical becuase I think it's funny. That's pretty much how Brittany and the rest of the Fantastic 5 were born. Im glad that you like them.**

**_Midnightstar-and-Echosong:_  
>I'm so glad you think it's a great story. If you've actually read this whole authors note (which I don't expect) you've probably read numorus times about how happy it makes me when people like my writing because I put so much effort into it and blah, blah, blah... But just because you're near the bottom of this AN doesn't make me appreciate it any less. I love everyone who reviews, good or bad feedback, and I smile hugley evertime I check my email and see a couple of new reviews. I never thought even one person would read this story, but now, according to the traffic page on my account, I have readers from Hungary, Guatemala, and even Azerbaijan, and 506 views last time I checked! Thats the power of the internet, huh? But, yeah, that's basically the reason I wrote this story, because I was always getting these ideas about Hermione's past and eventually I had too many to just keep in my head. (I could have done with a pensive.) <strong>

_**Jehrmiah123:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you like it so far! It means so much to me! I hope you like the rest of it just as much!**

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you liked it! I also tried to review a story the morning you reviewed and it wouldn't let me either... fanfiction isn't the most reliable site but it's great anyway! I remember the day I decided to write this I was also looking for Hermione's background story and I couldn't find it, so I decided to make one. I hope this chapter doesn't disapoint you! **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl: **_**  
>Again, SOOOOOO glad you like this story. Hermione's back story is never mentioned once in the books besides that she's Muggle born, so it was a really great topic to write for because I basically had free reign. I hope this update is soon enough for you! <strong>

_**MissCHSparkles:  
><strong>_**See my reply to your reveiw... if you didn't get it tell me. **

**So, thank you, not just to those who reviewed, but to those who only read as well. I love everyone who reads this story and I could never tell you how much it means to me. And a note: incase anyone is getting tired of my constant referance to clothing, and how the characters are always picking out clothes, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit (well, a little more than a bit) fashion obsessive, and whenever I'm excited or I want to make a good immpression, I channel all my engergy into picking out a great outfit. You can probably tell I'm a girl now... I've found that alot of my traits come out in the characters I write with, and this was one of them.**

**But back to the story. This chapter is significantly longer than the others, (the AN helped alot, about 7400 words) and it's about Hermione coming home from Hogwarts for her winter holiday. I personally think that this is the best chapter so far, but that's just me. I don't want to get your hopes up or anything. I hope you enjoy it as much as all of you seemed to have enjoyed the other chapters and review please! From the length of this AN, you can probably tell that I like responding to my reviewers almost as much as I like writing this story! **

**Also, I decided that this story needs more of a schedule for updating, so I decided to do Tuesdays and Saturdays. And I couldn't have updated yesterday anyway because I couldn't log in. **

**Disclamer: I've said it once already, and I'll say it again. I don't own anything that you recognize from the books. They belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, one of my personal heros and basically my whole childhood. **

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><p>Since this is a story about Hermione,<p>

We return to her point of view

"Hogwarts." I muttered the name under my breath as I watched the snow covered country side fly by.

"Hogwarts."

I almost laughed out loud to remember a time before I had ever been there. It was my whole life now!

I remembered life before I even got the letter. Fredrika, my only friend and I, taking constant hits from those horrible people the rest of the school called the fantastic 5.

I remembered the day I got the letter. Sitting there, reading, as I had done for the whole lonely summer. Could that have really been just last July? My life had been so miserable... Looking back, I didn't know how I could have stood it!

When I remembered how I had imagined Dumbledore, I _did_ laugh out loud. How could I have ever thought of this man as normal, even before I met him? What a shock I had when I first saw the figure who was now my headmaster standing outside my door.

Then came Diagon Alley. All the strange things they sold in the shops there seemed so normal now! I wasn't sure how a goblin could ever have scared me.

I remembered leaving for Hogwarts from platform 9 ¾. I had been so nervous that day. So nervous that the magic wouldn't work, that this was all a cruel joke, that Hogwarts would turn out to be a horrible place with horrible people.

I had met Neville about an hour into the train ride, when I helped him look for his lost toad. How happy I was to make my first new friend!

The sorting hat had been such a thrill. I had read about it in Hogwarts, a History, otherwise I would have screamed to see a talking hat. How silly that seemed now. Something that was a part of my every day life, scary. I remembered exactly what it had said to me.

_"Hhmmm. Quite smart this one is, heading for Ravenclaw I suppose...But, ohh, I see quite a lot of courage. Oh yes. Bravery and wisdom seem tied. You can put them both to use in GRYFFINDOR!_

The first two months had been great! I was actually _learning_ at school for the first time! And it was something so interesting, so magical! (It was magic after all.) I hadn't even realized I really didn't have too many friends until I heard Ron Weasley, my fellow Gryffindor say on Halloween that it wasn't surprising I didn't have any friends because I was such a know-it-all.

That very same night, after I had been crying in the bathroom, I remembered being attacked by a loose troll, and, believe it or not, Ron Weasley, and THE Harry Potter coming to rescue me. The next day, I had the two best friends in the whole world. It was almost too much. I got to go to Hogwarts, and I was friends with the boy who defeated you-know-who. Not that that was all I liked about him, though. He was such a great person too. I couldn't ask for a better best friend.

Now, here I was again. On the Hogwarts Express, heading home for Christmas. It felt almost as if I was entering a completely different world. Anyone walking by my compartment would have thought I was crazy! All the laughing and sighing from a compartment with just one person?

But I didn't mind-being alone or people thinking I was crazy. What fun was a normal person?

I could have sat with Neville, or any of the other Gryffindor girls, but I wanted to be alone. I wanted time to reflect. Life had just been so busy, and I needed to just think about what was happening.

I was done with that now, and the train ride would be over in half an hour. But I still needed to think about what would happen next.

I had been away for about 4 months. I had sent my parents a few owls, and they had sent the owl back, but that was all I knew about what was happening at home.

I would probably see Fredrika too, my old best friend. I obviously wasn't going to tell her I had found 2 new best friends, but what would I tell her? I couldn't tell what we were learning at Hogwarts, that was against wizard law! She would probably ask, and I would have to make something up. She would expect me to tell her about somthing other than the classes though, and I would just have to tell her about my social life, minus the magic.

I pondered the awkward moment when we would meet again until the magically transmitted, voice announced we would be arriving in five minutes.

I stood up and walked over to my trunk. I fumbled with the latch I could never open on the first try, but finally, the lid popped up. I slipped off my robe and folded it neatly into the trunk.

Without the robe, I looked just like a normal school girl. A crisp white shirt with a red and gold striped tie, under a grey sweater with 2 gold and scarlet stripes around the neckline. On the bottom I was wearing a black skirt with black tights and my black shoes, which were a bit worn by now.

When the train stopped, I heaved my trunk onto the platform where a cart was waiting. I headed over to the guard who was letting a few students out at a time. Finally, it was my turn to go through the wall.

I didn't bother to close my eyes this time. As I entered the wall, there was a brief moment of darkness, but I emerged onto the muggle platform almost immediately. I looked around until I spotted my parents.

"Mom! Dad!" I jogged toward them with the cart.

"Hermione! We missed you so much!" Mom cried. Grabbing me and crushing me against her chest.

"So how was your term Hermione?" Dad asked, taking his turn to smother me with a hug.

"Dad! You know I can't talk about it in the station! There are muggles around!"

He laughed. "And you could get arrested?" he mocked playfully.

"Yes! I could!" I told him sternly. "I had to make sure to take off my robe before I entered the station so I would look like a normal school girl coming home for Christmas!"

"Fine then. Tell us when we get to the car." Mom ended our pretend argument. She proceeded to tell me all about her life for the past few months. I strongly suspected that Dad really didn't care about her book club, or the latest gossip of the town, and she desparately needed an object to talk at.

Dad heaved my trunk into the boot of the car. As soon as he slammed the door, they both started pressing me for details.

"What's it like?" Mom asked eagerly.

"It's the most beautiful castle I've ever seen. It has so many towers I can't count, but the Gryffindor dormitories are in one of the highest ones. The view is amazing. I got lost so many times the first few weeks. Even with the map from the book I have. Its so big and confusing. There are these trick stairs that you have to remember to jump or you'll fall in and somebody had to pull you out, and sometimes, you have to tickle the doors in just the right spot to get them to open, or give them a password, and even sometimes, they're just walls pretending to be doors!"

"The grounds?" asked Dad. Gardening was one of his hobbies.

"Just as amazing." I replied. "There's this huge lake in the front of the castle, that reflects it during the day. The castles on this mountain cliff that has a hidden opening for the boats that go across the lake to come into, but it also slopes down and has this thin strip of beach. The grass is really thick and soft, and there are lots of shade trees. And there's also a Quidditch pitch. Remember I told you about Quidditch? It has 4 sets of bleachers, 1 for each house, and then the field is in the middle, but everyones up in the air so you never really look at it."

Dad got a skeptical look in his eyes I could see reflecting in the rear view mirror. "What about the dormitories and the food?" I laughed inwardly. My dad hadn't changed a bit, always worried about his little girl's saftey.

"The dormitory I live in is amazing. The door is guarded by this portrait of a fat lady that you have to give the password to so she'll swing forward to let you in. Only Gryffindors' and other teachers can get in. It _is_ secure Dad. The common room has a huge fire place and all the furniture is red. The walls have lots of Gryffindor hangings. The room I sleep in has 1 bed for every girl, and they all have curtains for privacy. Only Gryffindor girls of my year sleep in my room. It's made of stone and its round because its in a tower, and there's a really nice window seat.

"The foods really good. We eat in the great hall which has 4 long tables that go up the room, 1 for each house, and a shorter table that goes across where the staff sit. The ceiling's enchanted to look like the sky outside, so it feels like we eat outside every day, even when it's snowing! But anything falling from the sky disapears before it hits anything. The hall's lit by hundreds of floating candles. The meals are like feasts, and the feasts are like-well-double feasts."

I continued to answer there questions all the way home.

When we pulled into the driveway, I jumped out of the car, grabbed my trunk and lugged it up to my room.

My room was just like I had left it. Bed made, everything overly tidy from when cleaning had been the only thing I could do to get my mind off my new school.

I looked around and took in a place so familiar, even though I hadn't been there for months. My bed facing me in the far left corner of my rectangular room, my nightstand right next to it. My wardrobe was in the corner next to that, and my desk was pressed into the corner right next to me, facing the wall. The other wall was entirely covered in book shelves, except for an area cut out for the side of my bed.

I dragged my trunk next to my desk and opened it. All my stuff seemed so out of place in this ordinary room. My school things marked the very best time of my life, while the well-worn Muggle books on the shelves marked the time when I had force myself to get through the day with the promise of a good story at the end.

I unpacked my muggle clothes. Pants in the drawer on the bottom left of my wardrobe, the shorts on top of that. Shirts in the bottom right drawer, sweaters and long sleeves on top. Not knowing what else to do, I hung all my uniform things on the hanger rack above the drawers so they wouldn't get crumpled, and set the shoes on top of the drawers.

I took off the uniform I was wearing and pulled on my pajamas, simply because it wasn't directly before I had to go to bed and I could.

I spent the next few days with my parents, of course, because I had been away for a term. But on Christmas eve, I remembered somebody else I had do see.

Fredrika.

I picked up the phone and dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Freddi! It's me, Hermione!"

"Oh, you're home now?"

"Yeah."

"That's nice." she commented blandly.

"Yeah, well I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out today?"

"Sounds good."

"Great. Meet me in the park in half-an-hour."

"Ok. Bye."

"See you."

So I was going to see Fredrika again. I should be excited, but she just seemed so-hesitant on the phone. I hoped she wasn't mad at me for ditching her.

I walked up to my room. I needed to pick out something that would be just right.

I needed to dress nicely, like I was excited to see her. It would also seem like I was loving my school because I was happier. And since it was near Christmas, I should probably wear some Christmas colors.

I finally decided on a red skirt with green and gold polka-dots, over a pair of red tights. On top, I was wearing a thick yellow turtle neck woven with a few shiny gold threads that made the whole shirt sparkle gold. I put a red sweater over that, the kind with one button at the top. For shoes, I wore a pair of sparkly gold flats. As I looked in the mirror one last time, I noticed the lack of green in my outfit, so I pulled on a hat just like Santa wore, except green.

"Hey, Mom! Dad! I'm going to the park to meet Fredrika!" I yelled as I was walking out the door.

Just before I slammed it, I heard a faint, "Have fun!"

When I arrived at the park, I spotted Fredrika sitting on a bench. I walked over to her.

"Hey Freddi!" I called to her.

She looked over at me. "Hey."

I sat down next to her. Her skin was the same unhealthy looking pasty white I remembered, with a bit of underlying pink from where her thick black framed glasses pinched her face.

She was wearing a thick but loose black dress with an overly high turtle neck and loose long sleeves. It went down to her knees. Under it, she was wearing green and black striped stockings, and a pair of grey and black sneaker boots that went up to a few inches below her knees. She was wearing a gold heart locket on a long chain and her blond hair was in a large bun not quite on top of her head and was decorated by a gold headband with a large black bow.

I always thought of Fredrika's style as trying too hard, but I admired her for keeping at it even when Brittany or Eliza made fun of it. I wished I had that much confidence back then. Now, I was the happiest I'd ever been and my confidence was a lot higher. I felt like if someone insulted me now, I could walk over and insult them back, instead of running home crying like I used to.

I looked up at Fredrika's face. It was just a bit sad.

"Oh Fredrika." I sighed as I sat down next to her. She didn't say any thing so I kept going.

"School's been so great, Fredi, I can't believe it. Every thing we learn is so interesting, and I've even made some friends!"

"What are their names?" she asked dully.

"Harry and Ron."

"Boys?" She was a bit more interested in this.

"Yes, but don't change the subject. I was saying, I love my school Fredrika. It's my favorite place in the whole world." There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Do you remember the day we first met?" she asked.

"Of course I do! Both hiding in the same closet from Patrick and Carver, how could I forget?"

"Do you remember the day we first walked home together?"

"That was so much fun! We got lost, didn't we?"

"Do you remember the day we pushed Eliza into the fish tank at that aquarium field trip?"

"I was laughing so hard I cried! What are you getting at?"

"Do you remember the day we both got our acceptance letters to City?"

"One of the happiest days of my life. But what are you getting at?"

"Did you notice the "we" in all these statements?"

"Yes—but, Fredi I—What are you getting at?"

"How could you not write to me once, Hermione? I'm getting at the fact that you didn't write to me once in the four months you were gone. We were best friends, Hermione. Maybe I'm not your best friend any more, but we don't have to get into that. I'm still your friend! But you didn't write to me!"

I felt my heart give a happy little jump. "You're mad because I didn't write to you?"

"Yes!"

I sighed. "I should have told you. We're not allowed to write letters to anyone while we're at school. Only to our parents! They say it distracts us from our learning. I'm so sorry Freddi, I'll try to sneak you one this term.

I had to say that I couldn't send letters because I couldn't send her one. Not by owl! But maybe I could send one to my parents, and they could put it in an envelope and send it to her.

Her face loosened up a bit. "Oh. That's why you didn't write me?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to going to City with me. I was certainly looking forward to going with you. But then that one day, I got a letter from the headmaster requesting a meeting. So we invited him over, and he told me about this wonderful place, filled with people just like me. It was such a great opportunity, Freddi, and I wanted to go so much! But I had to decide right then because otherwise they wouldn't be able to make space for me. I'm so glad I went, but I miss you every day. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes I can." We both smiled. "Come here." She held out her arms and I gave her a hug. "So tell me about this Hogwarts place." She said after she let go.

I described it to her, inside and out. My dormitory, the food, the grounds, the castle, even the 4 houses and their politics. But I was careful to leave out any magic.

"That sounds amazing!" she said dreamily.

"You haven't even heard the half of it!" The magic half that is.

"Ok, so tell me about these Harry and Ron people.

"Ok." I took a deep breath. "So they originally didn't like me, they thought I was really bossy. But then, on Halloween, they helped me out of some dangerous circumstances and we sort of just became friends after that."

"Changed their minds, did they? Anyway, what do they look like?" Leave it to Fredrika to care about the looks.

"Well, Harry's a bit small. He has black hair and these really cool green eyes, and a scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his forehead. Ron, on the other hand, is a bit tall for his age. He has bright red hair, and blue eyes, and lots and lots of freckles."

"Keep talking."

"About what?"

"If they're really your friends, you'll know somthing other than how they look."

"Well Ron has 5 older brothers and 1 younger sister."

"Wow."

"I know! And Harry is an only child because his parents died when he was a baby."

"Died? That's horrible! How?"

"They were murdered."

"No."

"Yes! But get this. The person who murdered his parents tried to kill him too, but he survived!" Wait... was I really telling all this to a Muggle? _Stop Hermione! Stop! _

Fredrika's eyes were popping. "Oh my gosh! How?"

"Well, it's a mystery. The whole thing really, because that murderer had killed a lot of people around that time. But after he was done with his parents, he turned to him, and couldn't kill him for some reason. People heard the screams and ran to get help, but by the time they got there, Harry's house was in pieces and the murderer was dead. They arrived just in time to pull Harry out of the wreckage. Harry somehow, as a baby, killed a murderer who was trying to kill him! Nobody knows how. But they do know that's how he got the scar."

I Fredrika's eyes were as round as galleons. "That's incredible!"

I resisted the urge to slap myself. What was I thinking? I could have just used the car crash cover story, but for some reason, I just had to launch into the real thing. A baby couldn't destroy a house, without magic any way. Oh, what was I thinking? I was going to get expelled! I had had four glourious months, but my big mouth just had to ruin it all! I started shaking. I hoped Fredrika would pass it off as being cold. I tried to sound calm as I continued on.

"Yeah. He's a bit of a celebrity around school. Some people love him, other people hate him because there parents were followers of that murderer."

"Stop talking Hermione!" I panicked to myself.

"You have mini-murderers at your school?"

"Yeah, most of them are in Slytherin.

My stomach was starting to tingle with dread. I had said too much. I would be surrounded by obliviators in moments! Please Fredrika, change the subject! I thought.

She nodded. "But anyway do you like Harry or Ron?"

"Fredrika!" I whined and laughed at the same time. But I was so relieved. It had just taken one slip of the tounge and I could have been expelled! I couldn't imagine life without Hogwarts! But I had to be careful from now on, and I couldn't let my gaurd down. The obliviators might just be on their way.

She giggled too, but stopped quickly. "Seriously. Do you?"

I looked at her face and saw that she meant business. "Well, I try not to think about it because I spend so much time with them and it would make everything awkward. But—I guess if I had to choose… When we talk at night in my dormitory, all the girls are always saying how they think Harry is so cool for surviving attempted murder, and how they think he's really cute. I happen to think Ron is very good looking, and I would probably have a better chance with him. And Harry just seems to be my friend, so, Ron, I guess."

I hadn't really thought about it before, but I guess I did like Ron. Weird. It would probably to just put that aside for now.

Fredrika nodded, then looked down at her watch. "I should probably go soon. My mom wanted me home by 5 to have dinner.

"Yeah, me too."

I got up and looked around. A bit of flaming red hair caught my eye. It was Eliza.

She was wearing what looked like a grey jumpsuit, covered in leopard spots. Under it, she was wearing a tight dark green velvet shirt with fur cuffs at the sleeves, sort of like a Santa shirt. The legs of the jumpsuit were tucked into black combat boots and her red hair which she left waving to her chin was covered by a red fur lined hat with a pom-pom at the top and reindeer antlers. She was twirling a long silver necklace around her finger with a big square bead hanging off the bottom.

Brittany was right next to her. Her platinum blond hair was pulled up into a bun almost on top of her head, but to the side. She was wearing a purple (surprise!) tie-dyed skirt and a black winter jacket with chestnut fur around the hood. The jacket was partially unzipped so I could see the red collared shirt underneath it. On her legs, she was wearing a pair of opaque white tights, and beige cowboy boots.

Haden was the only on dressed semi-normally. Her dark chocolate hair was twisted into two, low, braids and decorated with a blue headband that had a large and unpractical blue bow. She was wearing a loose green and yellow striped long sleeved t-shirt, and a pair of very tight pale blue jeans that were tucked into deep scarlet boots with high heels.

Suddenly Patrick and Carver appeared right behind them and I realized they were staring at us. And they looked angry.

"Walk with me." I muttered quickly to Fredrika. We walked away fast.

"What's up with them?" I asked as soon as we were out of ear shot.

"Didn't you hear?" Fredrika asked incredulously.

"I've been in Scotland for the last few months at a remote boarding school with no connections to the outside world besides my parents, so no, I haven't." I told her.

"Well." She took a big breath like she was about to talk for a long time. "So I told Libby about you getting accepted to that school, even though she doesn't really like me because I knew she would tell other people. So she told Emily, who told Haden, who told the rest of their little group. So when she told them, apparently Patrick got all angry because none of them could get into any schools that didn't _have_ to accept them. He was blowing up and really upsetting their group dynamics. But then, get this, Haden accidentally let it slip that she had gotten into City but didn't tell them—"

"No way!" I felt a bit stupid for reacting so much to a little thing like that. Almost like I was in one of those trashy soap operas Fredrika used to make me watch with her.

"I know right? So then Patrick blew up at her, and the whole group left her. But then, at the end of the day, Brittany went over to Haden and forgave her, and they decided that they would just pretend that you didn't exist so nobody would notice the gossip about you. The group got back together, but every one noticed their little row and now they all know about how a person they hated came out on top! People are starting to question how good they are now!"

"All because of me?"

"Well, more because they're wondering why they got so upset over you getting into a good school. But anyway, now, they're mad because they know I'm going to tell someone about whatever you said to me while you were home. Don't worry, I'll give them a reason for them to be. I'll make it juicy." She mimicked a high voice. "Oh, Hermione just LOVES it at that school she got into. She says it's an absolutely beautiful place where the food is amazing and the teachers are nice. And, she says that her best friends there are boys! B-O-Y-S!"

I laughed. "But please don't tell anyone I like Ron. I'm sure they would find some way to use that against me."

"Don't worry, 'Mione. I would never do that."

I laughed and we started to walk home. At the corner of Cross and Clifford, I gave her a quick hug.

"If I don't see you before I leave again, I'll miss you. And I promise I will find some way to write to you!"

"Bye Hermione!" she called as she walked away.

I took a deep breath as I walked down the street. I was safe! The ministry of magic had no idea I had made such a big slip. I was so happy I could cry. I would have to be more careful from now on though. I couldn't count on them to overlook something like this if I did it again.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of owls pecking on my window. I ran over and beckoned the owls inside. I recognized one of them as Hedwig, Harry's owl, but the other 2, I didn't know.

I opened Hedwig's parcel first. It was a book called "The History of Wizarding Candy" from Harry. I laughed. He knew me well enough to get me somthing fun, and somthing I would like.

The next owl was probably a school owl from Ron and had a box of chocolate frogs. The other owl was from Hagrid with a box of rock cakes I saved just to be polite.

I ran into my parents room.

"Mom! Dad! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

"I know!" Muttered Dad groggily, pulling a pillow over his head. "Go away!" he could be such a child some time.

"Merry Christmas." Sighed Mom, sarcastically, before we all started to laugh.

Christmas went by in a flash. Before I knew it, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Even thought I was a little bit less excited this time, I still was, so I channeled it my nerves away the way I usually did. I picked out a great outfit.

After much contemplation, I chose a tight fitting brown shirt, a pair of light blue skinny jeans, and the same pair of sparkly gold flats. I would also wear a grey double-breasted coat that went halfway down my thighs and on top of my hair which I wore down; I would wear a loose black beanie.

It was strange, I only felt a little bit sad to see my home town go. But I realized, as much as I loved being around my parents and everything I grew up with, magic was an inseparable and secret part of my life now.

I said goodbye to my parents outside of the platform. I was too eager to help them get through. I heaved my trunk onto the train and stepped on myself just as it began to move. I dragged my trunk around until I found the right compartment.

The one with Neville.


	7. Another Day with Brittany

**AN: YAYAYAYAYAY! MORE REVIEWS TO RESPOND TO! I didn't have quite as many this time because fanfiction wasn't broken and my story wasn't stuck on the front page for two days, but it's more than I ever expected, so I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! So, this chapter is dedicated to my reviewers: **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you like it! I've always wondered about what the muggleborns do on holiday too, because Harry most of the time stays at Hogwarts, and when he leaves, he goes to the Weasleys. The great thing about the Potterverse is that it has a mind of it's own, and you can really just know what would happen in any situation that you put it in. I'm so glad you think my interpretation of it is good, and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you love it. :) **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**Another review from my first ever reader! I'm so glad you just happened to read my story the first day it came out, because your review motivated me to post the next chapter within the next two hours, or somthing like that. If you hadn't reviewed, there would still probably be only one chapter and I doubt most people would have stuck with just the first chapter. So, all my new readers are basically because of you! THANK YOU! I'm glad you think the way I wrote Hermione's attitude is good. It felt like the right way to go, becuase her experience with the Muggle World wasn't very good. I think that most muggleborn wizards find it that way, because they end up the "freaks" because of the wierd things that happen around them. Here's the next chapter for you! ;) **

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Why, thank you. ;) **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**Thanks! I love writing the gaps in the books plot because I don't have to copy text out of the book, but I know the general idea of what I need to write, and I can't come up with my own plot for the life of me without help. Luckily, the plot for this story sort of came to me as soon as I invented the Fantastic Five, becuase it seemed like it was really the only way to go. I hope you like this chapter! :D **

_**Me:  
><strong>_**Haha! Thanks so much! I also love writing Fredika/Hermione interactions because Fredrika has such a strong character in my mind. She's very gossipy/loud/bossy, but she's also very kind, and forgiving too. And I have to agree that we never see Hermione alone. It's always Harry this, and Harry that, but Hermione is such a wonderful character and she needs some screen (or page) time too. I always felt like there was somthing more lurking behind the know-it-all-with-bushy-hair that is in the books, and I felt like if I just kept it in my head, I would lose it and I didn't want that to happen. I 've never been so pleased that I did write it. The reaction to this story has been UH-MAY-ZING! **

_**Cloggx:  
><strong>_**Thankyou! I've always felt like Hermione has known she likes Ron for a while before it surfaces in the sixth book. This is the first time she ever realizes it, but being the smart girl she is, she pushes it aside and forgets about it so that they can still be good friends. Wanting to impress Ron all the time would have made everything really awkward... But anyway, thanks SOOOOOOO much for your review, and here's your update! ;) **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**Another long review! Wow! I just can't believe that anyone would take time out of their day to do that for me! Thanks so much! The last line of the last chapter was somthing I wasn't really sure about because I wanted it to end on a note that sort of makes you think, but I couldn't think of anything that good, so thats what I ended up with. Its supposed to sort of symbolize that Hermione has really changed for the better from that shy, sensetive little bookworm she was before, into a more outgoing and social person, though she is still very sensetive. I don't think Ron went home for Christmas because Harry showed him the Mirror of Erised, which is moved to guard the Sorcerer's/Philosipher's Stone before classes start again.  
>Anyway, I also really like Fredrika too. I think she's the sort of person that's so loveable once you get to know her, but it's hard to find that part of her. Really, I made her that way just to be a good match for Hermione, but she turned into so much more than that. I just feel so bad for her when Hermione just deserts her, becuase they truely only had eachother, and she just feels very lonley and sad now. But don't worry! Hermione does make an effort to keep in touch with her. You'll see that in one of the later chapters.<br>Another one of the later chapters will be a Fantastic Five/Hermione moment, but I don't want to say too much more than that becuase I feel like I'd be giving somthing away. And this story only takes place up to the summer before second year, because when I ended there, it just felt so final, and I was stummped for ideas anyway.  
>I'm glad you liked your 'shout-out'! I feel like I owe it to my reviewers that if they put in the time to review my story, I should put in the time to reply. Haha, yes, it is a shame we live in different countries, but I was born in London, and moved away when I was two... I still feel British at heart though! ;) I guess I am sort of like Gred and Forge, except that their pranks work most of the time, and they do a better job not getting caught. So, anyway, here's the update. Hope you like it! :D <strong>

**_sunny990:  
><em>Wow! They remind you of the real books? That's the hugest compliment an author can get, that the sound like J.K. Rowling! I feel... well, numb actually. I can't tell you how much it means to me! That made my day. :D**

_**Jordan Main:  
><strong>_**Those words, besides "It reminds me of the real books" might be the best words an author of Harry Potter fanfiction can hear (or read.) This kind of support is the thing that really keeps me going, and I can't tell you how much it means! I really did think that no one would ever like my writing, but it has been recieved so well, and it makes my day every time I log into my email and see another review, or favorite, or alert. Now that I know I have it in me, I think I will always be writing, even if I get nothing but hate mail. When you're at the lowest point, there's no where to go but up. All I can say is, thank you. :) **

_**Spawn of Sirius:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you love it! Is this update soon enough for you? ;) **

**Anyway, about this story. This is another chapter from Brittany's POV, and it's the first day of the second term. I'll leave you to read the rest, but I will continue this AN at the bottom. **_  
><em>

* * *

><p>Let's take another look at Brittany's life shall we?<p>

"Please let this be a normal first day of term." Was my first thought when I woke up.

I forced myself to throw off the covers and roll out of bed.

I just stood there for a moment before I went off to the bathroom to wash my face. When I came back, I put on the outfit I had chosen the day before. It didn't have much purple in it because I overheard Patrick telling Carver that I wore too much purple.

I wore a cream colored silk sleeveless shirt, tucked into a high-wasted black skirt patterned with a few fancy flora designs. Under that, I wore a pair of sheer black tights patterned with opaque lines forming diamonds, and a pair of ivory colored flats. Then, I pulled on the black ¾ sleeved jacket I borrowed from Eliza, and a long gold chain with a teardrop shaped bead at the end.

I left my hair hanging strait down parted at the side. I applied my normal purple eye shadow and ran with my backpack out to the car.

Mom didn't drive as fast this time. (Genevieve didn't have a new shipment of hats.) But still, I was a few minutes early to school.

When I got out of the car, I didn't look around. I spotted my 4 other friends in the same spot they had been in last time, and headed over there fast. The only thing I noticed was that all the groups I passed seemed to be in deep conversation, especially the one Fredrika had been in last year. Hermione had never really been a prominent member in any group, but if she was in a group, it would have been this one. Fredrika liked to tow her around.

I barged right into the conversation my friends were having.

"What happened now?" I demanded. Then I stopped to look at their outfits.

Eliza's flaming hair was up in a tiny wisp of a bun. It must have been hard with short hair. She was wearing black shorts with black and white striped tights, and a pair of hot pink sandals with stiletto heals. On top, she was wearing a tight long-sleeved white shirt, under a slightly see-through extremely puffy hot pink shirt covered in glitter. I personally thought the shirt clashed horribly with her hair, but she seemed to think it was fine.

Haden was, as always, the good girl. She was wearing a base layer of white. White tights, and a tight white turtle neck. On top of that, she was wearing a sleeveless dress that brushed her ankles. It was tight at the top, but got looser as it went down. The very top of the dress started out a caramel color, but faded into a deep blue, textured to look like water. Over all of that, there were several large cardboard colored palm trees as a pattern. She was wearing a pair of ballet flats the same cardboard color. Her hair was down, except for the top layer, which was pulled back in a small ponytail.

Patrick and Carver were both wearing jeans and a boring sweatshirt. Boy's fashion was so not interesting.

"What happened now!" I repeat when they just stared at me dumbly.

Haden took a deep breath. "Well, it's about Hermione."

"Obviously. Continue."

"Well, she told Fredrika a lot of stuff over the break, and now its all around, and it's a disaster once again."

I had expected that much. We were all hanging out together one day, in the down town area, when we saw Hermione sitting with Fredrika on a park bench. When she saw us, she stared at us for a few moments, and then they got up and left. They had obviously been talking, and no one loved to gossip more than Fredrika. It was only a matter of how much damage the gossip would cause. Hopefully, the news would just be that Hermione hadn't made any friends and was having a miserable time. Yes, that would probably be the news. Who would be friends with that, quoting Patrick, "crossbreed of a rabbit and dictionary?"

I took a deep breath. "So what did she say?"

"Well—" Haden looked like she was expecting a hit. She obviously hadn't gotten this far before I interrupted her.

Well—she said—Emily said, that Libby said, that Fredrika said, that Hermione said Hogwarts was her favorite place in the whole world."

Hogwarts. I had forgotten it was called that.

"Anything else?"

"She described her school in great detail." Haden seemed reluctant to say any more.

"Well, as we are the ones who are most concerned about this, I think we have the right to know what she said." Patrick hissed.

Haden gulped. "She said her school was in a castle."

"Are you kidding m—" Patrick started to shout. But Haden interrupted him.

"I thought you said you wanted to know what she said."

He clenched his jaw.

She breathed, then continued. "Aparently, it's the most beautiful place she's ever been. The castle is pretty, and the grounds are pretty. Theres a nice clear lake, and a forest, and even the grass is pretty. Her dormitory is comfortable, theres a nice warm common room, and the room she sleeps in is high in a tower. The food is supposed to be amazing. They have come and go buffets for all the meals, except feasts. And they have those at the start and end of term, and on holidays. Emily told me a lot of other blah, but of course, the library is amazing."

I tried to hide my annoyance. This Hogwash place sounded like a perfect fairytale, without the evil witch. It was even a boarding school, the kind of place I had always wanted to go. I could just imagine living with a few of my closest friends in a room all to ourselves. There would be so much freedom! We could sneak out at night, play pranks... A few teachers could only excersise so much control over a large student body!

Patrick closed his eyes for a moment, then, slowly opened them.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." He said icily.

"That—just—it can't be true." Carver shook his head.

"No, it definitely isn't." Eliza said quickly, then looked up at Carver and batted her eyelashes.

Haden just stood there, stiffly. I knew that body language.

"Is there anything else you want to tell us, Haden?" I asked her.

Everyone stared at her.

"She said her two best friends are boys!" she burst out suddenly.

"WHAT?" Patrick sounded half mad. I honestly agreed with him. I couldn't imagine anyone going within 5 feet of Granger, let alone people of the opposite gender. The five of us, though we never said it out loud, had always been very proud to be good friends with people of the opposite gender. We took it as a sign of our maturity, and that we were most likely going to date before the rest of the civilian population. It had touched a nerve that Granger had that too.

"Everyone was new there this year and these two boys became best friends and then they saved her from dangorus circumstances whatever that means and then they became best friends the three of them." She said in one breath.

"That cannot be true either." Carver said loudly.

"Nope! Cant be possible!" Eliza followed up once again.

Patrick looked like he was about to explode. I knew I had to do something.

"Well whether or not it's true doesn't matter guys. They think it's true." I waved my hand toward all the other students behind us. "Patrick, can you calm down so we can talk about this in a civilized manner?" I asked pointedly.

He gritted his teeth and took a few long, deep breaths. Then he opened his eyes and nodded.

"Thank you. So lets try to do this calmly. What is our problem?"

"Hermione Granger is friends with boys now." Eliza volunteered.

"She's lie—"

"Thank you Eliza." I said over him. I thought over the steps of problem solving in my head. Step 1: know what your problem is. Check. Step two: Understand what you already know.

"So lets try to understand everything better, and the best way to do that is to start with what we know. Granger is at a beautiful school in a castle. It's a good school. The food is good, the dormitories are comfortable, the library is nice. And, as we have just found out, her two best friends are boys."

Step 3: try to learn more. I turned to Haden. "So Haden, did Emily say anything else about these boys?"

"Yes she did."

"Great. Tell us everything."

She nodded. "So Hermione Granger became friends with these boys after they saved her from dangerous circumstances. Emily didn't know what that meant. So these boys are named Harry and Ron. Apparently Ron has 5 older brothers and a younger sister. He's tall and he has bright red hair. Harry is small for his age. He has black hair, and green eyes. He's an only child because his parents were murdered when he was a baby—"

Even I had to interrupt at that. "Sorry, what?" I asked over grunts of surprise from the rest of them.

"Yes, murdered!" Haden said loudly to get the attention back to her. "Emily said that not only were his parents murdered, the murderer tried to kill him too! By the time help got to their house, the murderer was dead and the house was in pieces."

Everything was too silent for a moment.

"THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Patrick nearly screamed.

"Patrick, please!" I pleaded.

He seemed to come to his senses. His face relaxed, as he looked around at all of us. Then he slumped back against the wall with his face in his hands.

I took a deep breath. All these steps weren't working. I would just have to do this on my own. The only think left to do was just discuss it, and hope that we could come up with something.

"Ok—so just listen, please!" I cried. "Look, the murderer just probably shot a tank of petrol or something. The idea that a baby killed a murderer is impossible. But anyway, our problem right now is deciding what to do about these rumors. Any suggestions?"

"We could do what we did last time, and just ignore them." Haden put in.

"That doesn't seem to be working though, does it?" Eliza objected. "I say we should find some way to tell them all that the rumors are false."

"And how are we going to do that?" Haden asked.

"Well, just tell them, I guess." Eliza answered.

"So you're just going to climb that tree over there and say 'contrary to some rumors circulating at the moment, Hermione Granger is still as friendless as usual?'"

"No. I'm not going to climb a tree!" Eliza scoffed. "Carver is."

"Sorry, what?" He asked.

"Go climb that tree over there and tell everyone that all the rumors are wrong."

"Eliza, that's a stupid ide—"

"So you've got a better one?" she asked.

I was silent.

"Good. Now go climb that tree now, Carver." He sighed and walked off.

Eliza could be so controlling sometimes. "This is so stupid." I muttered into my hands.

Even Patrick watched as Carver started to climb the tree. When he was about 10 feet off the ground, he stood up on one of the branches so he could see the whole yard.

"Uh—HEY! PEOPLE! CAN YOU LISTEN FOR A SEC?" I could see Carver turning red from 50 feet away.

"YEAH, SO I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT THOSE RUMORS GOING AROUND—THEY AREN'T TRUE! HERMIONE GRANGER IS AT A BOARDING SCHOOL, BUT SHE IS JUST AS LONLEY AS USUAL, SO YOU DON'T NEED TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THOSE RUMORS!"

He climbed back down and walked over to us.

"Are you happy now, Eliza?" he spat.

Patrick just looked at her. "You know that telling people not to believe the rumors was the best way to get them noticed?" he bit his lip and stalked away. Carver followed him.

"B-but now people will know that the rumors aren't true. They w-wont believe them." Eliza stuttered.

"We aren't queens Eliza. We can't tell people how to think. Patrick's right. People will probably pay more attention to the rumors now that you've tried to play them as false." Haden told her.

"What happened to the fantastic 5?" she whined.

It's not gone yet, but it's going, I thought as the bell rang.

Just like the first day of last term, I couldn't pay attention to any of my classes. All the rumors were circulating faster than I could have spread them if I was trying to. You could see it everywhere. The whispers in the halls, the notes passed during classes, but not to me. No one talked to me all day. Even our lunch table was quiet. I was starting to think it wouldn't be so bad to be a semi-popular. They never had so much pressure on them. They could just wait, in a perfectly good spot, right in the middle, for us to mess up. And they couldn't mess up because they didn't control all that much. And now that I thought about it, the semi-populars had more friends. There were about 15 or 20 in their group. I had always overlooked that as a sign that only an elite few could get up to my level, but now I realized that they might be happy where they were. I had 4 friends I spent all my time with, they had at least 14. Wasn't being popular supposed to be having a lot of friends? Well, in that case, we might as well be unpopulars. I guessed power was just an illusion.

I went to all my afternoon classes, but my mind went somewhere else. For those last 3 hours, I had only one question. What was so bad about Hermione Granger? I couldn't remember. She was an unpopular, she wasn't pretty, but why was she public enemy number 1 now? Had she ever done anything to hurt us? She was destroying our reputation now, but what about before? She was a nerd. That was it. She was a nerd and nerds belonged at the bottom.

The bell rang and I silently packed all my things into my bag. I went outside and stood next to Haden and Eliza as I waited for my mom, but we didn't talk.

I saw my moms car turn the corner onto the street. I remembered that corner. We would yell insults after Granger until she disappeared there.

And then it hit me. Granger wasn't a nerd. She was smart. And none of us could get into any good schools. Not Eliza, not Carver, not Patrick, not even me. But Haden did, and now Patrick only tolerated her presence. Why was that? But I knew why that was. Granger and Haden had, what Patrick and the rest of us had always dreamed of. The one thing we didn't have. Smarts. So now, Granger was now a horrible person, and Haden was only hanging on because I was helping her, because they were smarter than we were.

We were nothing but jealous.

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><p><strong>AN: So that was the last chapter for this week, and I really hope you liked it. The Fantastic Five chapters always end up being a little bit shorter than the Hermione ones, But I think they're good, so I write them. Anyway, what I wanted to say is, while I'm doing my best to stick to the Tuesday Saturday update schedule, I don't think I'll be able update this coming week becuase my school is having spring break this week and I'm going on vacation. So, have a nice week, and you can expect the next chapter not this tuesday, but the one after that. <strong>


	8. Hermione Keeps her Promise

**AN: Andddd I'm back! Yay! My vacation was really fun, but now it's time for the update you've been waiting for! Haha! I'm hyperrrrrrrrr! ;) Anyways... REVIEWS! YAY! I got more! They make me soooo happy! And now i will respond, **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! I like how Hermione is breaking up the Fantastic Five without even trying too. It really shows how shallow those people are that just someone being better than them will wreck their friendship. I hope you like this chapter! **

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Haha! Thanks so much! I hope you like this chapter! ;) **

_**MissCHSparkles:  
><strong>_**I agree. They are taking Hermione very seriously. Really, their only making more problems for themselves because otherwise the fact that Hermione changed schools would have been gossip for about fifteen minutes... But anyway, it really shows how horrible they are that all they care about is being the best. Hopefully they'll learn their lesson soon. Hope you like the update! **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! I thought it would be cool to do some chapters from Brittany's POV because you really get to see into the damage Hermione is causing without really trying to. I think she secretly enjoys it though... she isn't as much of an angel as she apears... ;) **

_**Cloggx:  
><strong>_**Thanks! I really liked writing about the Fantastic Five so it means so much to me that other people like it too! All my work has paid off! Yay! I always though Hermione deserved more of a story, so that came with new characters too. I'm so glad you like them, or that they make a good story, cause they aren't very likable people! ;) **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad that you read this story! But I think that it's about half and half for hermione/brittany chapters from here on. Here's your update! Hope you like it! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**Haha! Yes, they are crumbling fast! I've always loved writing about bad things- I think its easier than writing about happy times... funny how that works. Anyway, It is amazing how fast rumors can spread when you fan the flames, like the five are doing. That power can be used for good or for evil though... MWA HA HA! ;) **

_**11FF1:  
><strong>_**Wow! Thanks so much! Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!**

_**Me:  
><strong>_**Don't throw a tantrum! But I'm glad you like it that much! ;) I do have to go to school! Haha, but I assure you that this is the first thing I have done since I got home, and I hope I'm posting soon enough, and that this chapter doesn't let you down! **

**Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than the others... I'm sorry! It's about the Easter Holidays at Hogwarts, (which is convinient since it was just Easter... ;) ) and there wasn't much space to insert anything in, so I just made up a piece about Hermione fufilling a certain promise she made to Fredrika... ;) Hope you like it! **

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><p>Now, it's Easter holiday at Hogwarts<p>

When I woke up, you could just see a few rays of sun from behind the distant mountains. Good. My silent alarm clock charm had worked.

I slipped out of bed and dressed as quietly as I could. I pulled on a pair of dark blue boot-cut jeans, and plain white long-sleeved t-shirt, and over that, a short-sleeved green t-shirt with the word "sensibility" written across the front in white letters. Then I pulled on a pair of white sneakers with pink trim and slipped out of the circular dormitory without waking a single room mate.

I tip-toed down the spiral staircase and into the common room. Nobody was there yet. This was working perfectly.

As much as I loved all my friends, I needed to be alone for this. It was the second day of Easter holiday, and I was going to the owlrey to write Fredrika a letter.

I pushed open the portrait of the fat lady, and snuck down the hall. The last thing I wanted right now was to run into Filch. It was much earlier than we were allowed out of bed, and I needed to spend my holiday studying, not in detention.

When I finally reached the owlrey, I used the levitation charm to clear a spot of floor of owl droppings, and sat down. I pulled out the parchment and quill I had brought, and thought about what I was going to write.

I would normally have so much to write about. So many things happened here at Hogwarts that my first problem would probably be running out of ink. But now, I was writing to Fredrika, a muggle. I could only tell her a tenth of what was happening without any risk. But luckily, muggles could be so ignorant sometimes. If I just left out the obvious words like "magic," or "sorcerer's stone," then hopefully, she wouldn't pick up on anything.

I put my quill to the parchment, and began to write.

_Hey Fredrika! _

_I'm sorry this letter is a bit overdue, but I said I would write, so I am. I just didn't get a chance to before this. I've been so busy with everything that's been going on. The final exams here are only 10 weeks away! You know that only 20 completely new people were chosen to come to this school, so I have to do especially well this year to make the administrators happy they chose me as one of them. I should have started studying ages ago, I don't know what's gotten into me! I've been using this holiday mostly as study time. I've been trying to get Harry and Ron to do the same, but I think all I've done is annoy them. On top of all that, the three of us are solving a mystery! It might seem a bit silly to you, but this seems really big! We think that there is something hidden at the school, and that one of the teachers, Professor Snape, is trying to steal it! This thing seems very important too, as it is protected in several ways. And Snape has been trying to get this other teacher, Professor Quirrell, to tell him how to break through them! He seems to be resisting, but I don't think he'll be able to keep it up much longer, as Snape is actually quite scary... We might be over reacting, but it seems so real. If the school has gone through so much trouble as to block off a whole corridor for the protection of this thing, than it's obviously worth stealing. Anyway, if you want to reply, you can send it to my parents so that they can sneak it to me. _

_Write back!_

_Hermione_

I rolled the parchment up and tied it, slipping a short note to my parents saying to send this to Fredrika, under the string. Then I called over a large, brown and grey owl, and told it to deliver the letter to my house.

I walked quietly back to the Gryffindor dormitories. I wasn't so worried about being caught now. I guess the real reason I had taken such care to be quiet this morning was mainly because I wanted to write this letter. Now that I was done with that, I felt much better.

I told the fat lady the password, and hopped through the portrait hole and into the common room. It was still before breakfast, so I sat down on the couch closest to the fire, and began to study.

That's how I was when Harry and Ron found me.

"Did you stay up all night studying for tests you've already passed?" asked Ron incredulously.

"I haven't all ready passed them." I snapped at him. "I'm just as likely to fail as you are. And anyway, I've only been here for about half an hour. I woke up early."

Ron rolled his eyes. He knew I wasn't really mad at him. I was just a bit touchy when it came to the exams.

"Let's go get some breakfast." Harry said.

"Yes. And then we can go to the library and study."

They both groaned.

"You'll need to do it sometime, might as well be now." I told them.

"Let's just get breakfast." Ron said. "I'm starving."

We all climbed out of the portrait hole and headed down to the great hall. Harry and Ron talked all the way, but I trailed a little bit behind.

Writing to Fredrika made me wonder. What was she doing right now? How was she doing at City of London? I had forgotten to ask her over Christmas. And then, I started to wonder, what would I be doing right now if I had never gotten the letter? Would I like City? Would I have any friends? Probably not. I wouldn't know about magic, and the freak things that happened around me would make me a freak, once again.

I stared at the backs of my two best friends. Just watching them laugh and talk. In that moment, I felt happy to be alive. Everything around me was more than I could have ever asked for. Before, I had been perfectly happy to start a new school with only Fredrika, but I knew now that I would never fit in any where in the muggle world, as well as I did here.

Then I thought of Brittany, and Patrick and the rest of their little group. It gave me a warm and mischevious feeling to know that I had a secret, that the kings and queens of gossip didn't know. A big secret too. It was a whole world that I knew about and they never would. They would never own a wand, shop in Diagon Alley, or even ride the Hogwarts express!

But mostly, I had found friends. The two most amazing people in the whole world. And a home. Hogwarts was my home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So? What did you think? I'm sorry it's so short, but I promise I will start the update schedule again, and you can expect the next chapter on Saturday. It's a Brittany chapter I think. Anyway, reviews are much apreciated, and I love you all for reading! <strong>

**~Lulu **


	9. First Day, Third Term for Brittany

**AN: Hello everyone! This is this saturday's update, 4/30/11. I would just like to make a correction to my AN from last time. There is only one more Hermione chapter. I'm sorry to those of you who like those better, but I promise it's the longest one I've ever written. It's 13 pages on microsoft word and it has over 6,500 words and I haven't written an AN for it yet. There is this chapter, and the next chapter, which are both Brittany, then that chapter, and there is also a twelfth chapter from Brittany's POV I might post... I'm not sure yet though. It has a sort of cliche ending and I promised myself I would never do cliches... If people want me to post it I will though. Anyway, I have more reviews to respond to. Thank you so much to everyone! Reviews mean the world to me and every time I check my email and see one, it brightens up my day.**_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Thanks! I'm so glad you like this story! **

_**Midnightstar-and-echosong:  
><strong>_**Well, I'm so glad you found the story too! It makes me really happy that you like what I've done in the time you've been gone. I'm always really scared that my stories will get worse as I go along... I really don't want to build up expectations and then let people down! I hope this chapter is as good as you think the others are! ;) **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**It's really ok that you didn't review the last chapter. You've reviewed every other chapter and the most I can really ask for is one review. Hermione is one of those characters that really has a mind of her own. When you write her, it really becomes blatantly obvious what she would do in any situation. What I tried to do with this story was uncover the un-blatantly-obvious side of her, so she's a little OOC. We really never see her interact with any other girls, and girl to girl friendship is alot different than the friendship she has with Harry and Ron, so I tried to put that in. Also, in the next Hermione chapter, I tried to put in her mean, fiesty, revengeful side too, which we only really see when she slaps Malfoy in book three... (I love that part ;) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**Haha, yes. I also think that Harry and Ron would have flunked out of Hogwarts without Hermione. They're always copying her notes, and they would never study for anything if she didn't force them. She probably is the only reason they made it past first year. ;) About the Fredrika's POV thing: As soon as you said it, I though it was a great idea! I have to admit that I'd never really thought of it before. I am currently working on just a quick overview of the whole story from her POV. She's the gossipy type, and she's not stupid, so she knows that Hermione isn't telling her somthing. She really wants to know, and it's taking all her self control not to feel really hurt. But she really is a very good friend and I feel really bad for her now because Hermione and her were best friends for six years and at a moments notice, she leaves, just deserting all their plans for City of London, and comes back at christmas talking about her new BFFs. I'm working on finishing it, and I'll probably post it, but I'm not sure if I should make it it's own story or just chapter 13. **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you like this chapter too! **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**Yes, I completley agree that Hermione is so much better off in the magical world. But up until this point, she's really been struggling to figure out where she belongs. She's a child of two worlds, and in chosing to come to Hogwarts, she has to live in both. In one reality, she has her family and Fredrika, but a horrible social life, and in the other, she has great friends and a great life. Now, she's stuck trying to figure out where she really belongs. It really is a hard choice because she loves her parents, but she feels so much better in the world they could never join. I've always had a soft spot for all the muggle-borns because of this, and also the fact that the choice was sprung on them so quickly. Anyway, I've searched for JKR's ideas about Hermione's old life, but never found any. It's really frusterating! Hope you like this chapter! **

_**SapphireLibra3:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! Hermione's always been a sort of mysterious character for me. She just apears on the Hogwarts express, and all we know about her past is that she's muggle-born. I really just wrote this to satisfy my own curiosity. Hope you like this chapter too! **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it. I also read fanfics on my Itouch, but when it gets confiscated, I hide it. (cuz im double bad! JK) I'm glad you like the way I describe clothes because I was afraid it would bore people. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!**

**_Me:  
><em>I'm so happy you like it! Like I said above, I also read fanfiction on my Ipod. I kept losing the websites too, so the reason I made a fanfiction account was so that I could get alerts and favorite the stories I was reading so they would be in one place. Then I decided to post this, and well, people like it! YAY! Anyway, this chapter and the next chapter are short too, I'm sorry, but when I was writing this, these parts seemed sort of important but there wasn't much to write about them. I hope you like them anyway... next update on tuesday!**

**Anyway, like I said, this chapter and the next one are kinda short... But the two after that are pretty long. I hope that makes up for it! So basically, it's the first day of the third term for Brittany, and like we expected, Fredrika did everything in her power to tell the world what Hermione put in her letter... lets see what happens... [insert evil laugh here] **

* * *

><p>Now, we travel back into the muggle world to visit the Fantastic 5 on the first day of the third and final term<p>

When I woke up on the first day of third term, I had a feeling of dread. So far, the first day of every other term had been a disaster, all because of Hermione Granger. I hadn't seen her over this holiday but I wasn't sure how much gossip was around. You could never tell with that girl.

I nervously pulled on my outfit. It was after Easter, so I wore very short white shorts, and a yellow, purple and white plaid halter top, with 3 flaps, and straps made out of purple mesh. Then I pulled on a pair of black stiletto sandals with bright blue straps, and did my hair into an oddly shaped knot on the side of my head that left a few strands hanging out of the middle. I did my regular purple eye shadow, and hopped in the car without any breakfast.

When I arrived at school, everyone was there but Haden. I walked over to join my friends. I saw that today, Eliza was wearing a strange blue tank top. It had a v-neck that went down to her waist, and was pattered on one side, with verticle black and white stripes, and on the other side, there were horizontal orange stripes. She was wearing a blue bra with orange swirls that the shirt showed off. For pants, she was wearing short, light denim shorts with frayed edges, and a few rips. Her shoes were sand colored sandals with three inch heels, and orange straps. She had straitened her hair so that it was almost spiked down, and her bangs were formed into little triangles. She was wearing a puffy tan hat with a brim, and large hoop earrings.

"Where's Haden?" I asked her.

"She's done this all the other days." She replied. "She's waiting for Emily at the corner. That's how she gets all the Granger gossip."

We stood in silence for a few minutes. Then, Haden came walking around the corner of the building. She was talking to Emily, but she had obviously heard enough and was trying to get rid of her.

She was once again, her perfectly dressed self. She was wearing an ivory colored silk dress that was tight around her torso, but fell fluidly to her knees. It was pattered grayish green blobs that might have been bundles of flowers, and on top of the dress, she was wearing a bright, yet pale blue denim jacket, which she had rolled up the sleeves of. On her feet, she was wearing the ivory colored flats that I had loaned her yesterday. Her hair was long and slightly wavy today. She had pinned back a few long strands that would have been in her face.

"So?" Eliza asked her. "What happened over this holiday?"

"Nothing as bad as last time." She replied. "Apparently that school of hers doesn't let them write letters to people other than her parents. So she snuck a letter to Fredrika through her parents."

"Well? What did it say?" I asked expectantly.

"It's honestly really stupid. All she said was that exams are in 10 weeks so she's studying hard—"

We all rolled are eyes. "That's so typical." Carver muttered.

"Well, yes." Haden replied. "But she also said that her and those to boy friends she has are solving a mystery."

I snorted. Eliza muttered, "sure…" sarcastically. But Patrick squeezed his eyes shut.

"Come on mate. You cant really believe this stuff, can you?" Carver asked him.

I glanced at Haden and saw that she was wearing an expression similar to mine. We both knew this probably wouldn't turn out well.

"They say they're solving a mystery." Carver continued. "That can't be true. Come on! Its not that bad. Mysteries don't happen anymore. They're just making a big deal out of nothing."

Patrick finally opened his eyes. "I can't stand that girl!" he hissed.

"Why, Patrick?" I asked him.

He stared at me coldly. "She's a liar, a cheater—Uh! Everything I can't stand in a person."

I stared right back at him in awkward silence for about a minute.

"So, how widely has this been spread, Haden?" Carver asked in an attempt to break the silence.

She immediately caught on. "Not as much as last time." She replied. "But it wont matter because every one will know that this is a lie. Solving a mystery? Really?"

I nodded. "It really isn't a very big deal, is it, Patrick?"

He stared at me again. "Look. Hermione Granger was a complete loser. Now she has friends. That isn't supposed to happen."

"Why not?" I asked him. His stare turned from cold to icy. Then, he turned around and walked away. Carver gave me a sympathetic look, and followed him. Eliza as usual, shrieked, "Carver!" and followed as well. That left Haden and me standing alone.

"This seems to happen a lot, doesn't it." Haden commented.

I nodded.

"I thought you did a good thing. Hermione Granger is not our problem, no matter how annoying she is. I don't know why Patrick is making such a big deal out of her."

The bell rang and I walked to my locker.

As was normal for the first day of term by now, I walked through the day like a zombie. I didn't notice anyone or anything, because I was trapped in my own mind.

We were all jealous. I had established that last term. But now, I realized there was nothing I could do about it. I had tried standing up to Patrick, but look how well that went. Even if I had realized that this whole Granger thing was really blown out of proportion, it just wasn't worth losing Patrick while trying to convince him of that.

I sighed. This whole thing was so stupid! Jealousy was one of the seven deadly sins, but I was starting to wonder if it was deadly by itself. All it took was a stupid letter, a letter that wasn't even for anyone besides Fredrika, and look how it was tearing us apart! If it were up to me, I would just ignore this whole thing. I would just walk away and never think of Granger again. But Patrick was making such a big deal out of it, and being his friend, I was forced to stay by his side. Stupid frienship. This was all Patrick's problem!

I somehow managed to end up in the right car after school was over. All I could do now was hope things got better soon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I really am sorry it's so short, but I felt like this was an important moment. Don't give up on me though! More to come next tuesday! Reviews are appreciated and I love you all for reading! <strong>

**~Lulu **


	10. Brittany's last day of school

**AN: Hello everyone! It feels like it really hasn't been very long since I last updated, but I guess time flies, doesn't it? I've been busy working on that Fredrika thing, and I think it's pretty good! Anyway, this is the last really short chapter, so please don't be mad! I got alot of new reviews to respond to, so... **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad you loved the chapter! I agree that Patrick is over-reacting alot. I originally just wrote him like that for no reason, but I didn't like it, so instead of going back and changing it, I did the lazy thing and made up a cliche ending for him. I'm not really sure its a chliche, but I'm not completley happy about it... You can see what you think in chapter 12. **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad you like this! I wrote the fantastic five because I love writing about jealousy. It's my favorite emotion! Well, not really to feel, but I find it so interesting! People can mistake it for somthing else so easily, and the real reason behind it is usually so unexpected! That's why one of my favorite characters to write about is Petunia, when she was a kid. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you! ;) **

_**MissCHSparkles:  
><strong>_**Patrick does have a really big problem. I was actually thinking about naming the chapter Patrick's Problem, but I decided it would be a better name for another chapter. The Fantastic Five/Golden Trio scene is coming up next I think, and I hope Patty's (is that a really cheesy nick name?) reactions don't disapoint! Here's the update! **

**_Vitzy:  
><em>No, don't worry. I feel bad for Brittany too. She's really such a mean person, but you can't help but wonder if she's only that way because she's been following Patrick around for such a long time. I honestly don't know. I've never thought that far into her character. I can tell you that he does not have a crush on Hermione, though I wish I had thought of that before I finished writing. That would have given even more of a reason for Brittany to hate her. Like I said before, there's going to be a little encounter next chapter, I'm pretty sure. I'm wondering if I should split the next chapter in two... Anyway, it would be cool if they could find out Hermione was a witch, but they can't. Oh well. I think Hermione would feel rather smug knowing she had a little secret. Thanks so much for R&Ring! Hope you like this next chapter! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**I'm working on that Fredrika chapter, and I hope it's good! I'm not really used to writing on a deadline, except for non-fiction papers for school, but hopefully it will be ready by the saturday after next to keep with my update schedule. About the way Brittany and Eliza (especially Eliza) dress, they are around twelve and they do dress rather...er...in a manner that would not make their mothers proud. I tried to do that, but I think I may have gone a little bit over the top. I always imagined them with parents that aren't around and don't care very much. In the first Brittany chapter, you saw how her mom was more interested in her hat store than taking Brittany to school. I don't know about Eliza's mother, but I imagine she doesn't really have one, and her dad is a busy buisness man. I have to think that one over. But anyway, I never really thought about the school enforcing rules, I have to admit. The excuse I can make up is that this is the kind of school where the teachers don't care very much, or they have a high tolerance, or maybe they have decided that it is a better idea to leave Eliza and Brittany alone because their Dad's are important and sucessful people. It really was my mistake, but I hope those excuses make it fit a little better... :-/ Anyway, I hope that doesn't turn you off the story or anything... I hope you like this chapter! **

_**azee12:  
><strong>_**A new reviewer! And you wrote two reviews too! I'm so glad you like it! I'm sort of confused though. You say I should write more about what's going on at school. Do you mean Muggle school or Hogwarts? Anyway, the next chapter is a Hermione chapter! Did you really show this to your friend! That's so great! Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too! **

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Well, thanks again! ;) **

_**Me: **_**  
>Thanks! I did try to make Brittany slowly realize how petty all the problems in her life were. You'll see in this chapter that she really isn't getting better. I had to keep her bad for the next chapter, cuz a nice Brittany wouldn't really work for a HermioneFantastic Five confrontation. But she is still wondering about all that, and if she really is all that popular, and if it really matters at all. I hope you like this chapter! **

**Anyway, (I'm starting to realize I say that alot...) this chapter takes place on Brittany's last day of school, and she and her little group are discussing plans for the summer. It's short, but important, and I hope you like it! **

* * *

><p>Now, its Brittany's last day of school after a troublesome year<p>

Last day of school. Last day of school! YES!

I had had a horrible last term, no a horrible year. All that Hermione business had really strained my friendship with Patrick. about a week after our last incident, we all made up, but it was very tiresome to have to watch what we said all the time.

Now, it was almost Summer. Tomorrow, I would have the ultimate freedom. No school work!

But Summer also meant that Granger would have to come home. No school, boarding or not, lets you stay all year. We had about 6 weeks to make her life hell. And knowing me, it would probably be worse.

I started to put on a crumpled school uniform. I picked up a used-to-be-crisp white shirt and left the first three buttons undone. Then, and a black tie, which I left hanging loose out of my grey vest. I didn't bother to tuck my shirt into my grey and black plaid skirt, and jammed my feet into my plain black mary-janes with 2 inch heels. I pinned back my bangs, and pulled my hair into a very wide bun almost on top of my head.

I walked downstairs, grabbing my backpack as I walked out the door. It was already warm out, so I hastily rolled up my sleeves and got into the car.

When I stepped out on to the school yard, I immediately started trudging toward my group.

I could see from there that Haden, as always, was dressed perfectly. Her white shirt looked almost stiff, and it was buttoned all the way up to her neck. The sleeves were rolled down too. Her tie looked like it was chocking her, and her wool vest didn't have a single wrinkle. All this was tucked into her skirt, and she was wearing sheer black tights with her black shoes. She must have been sweltering.

Eliza, with all the skin that she was showing, must have been freezing. She had cut her shirt so that it went down to her waist. The sleeves had been cut at about her elbow, but she had sewn them up so they were puffy to the middle of her forearm. Then, she had ripped off all the buttons and sewn a v neck almost as far as the shirt went down, lined with black ribbon which she tied in a bow at her waist. You could see her sparkly red under shirt through the v-neck. She was wearing the normal skirt, but for shoes, she was wearing high heeled black mid-calf boots. Her short, flaming hair was sticking out of multiple pig tails, all over her head. It was a strange ensemble, but it seemed to suit her some how.

They all seemed to be relaxed so I made my entrance with a simple, "Whats up guys?"

Carver looked over at me. "We were just discussing how we're going to get Hermione over the summer." He flashed a wicked smile.

I chuckled. "So what do we have so far?" I asked.

"Various ways of making her feel like a nobody." Eliza replied.

"Lets hear it." I said

Patrick seemed eager to reply. "So most of these were my idea. We can leave insults in her mail box, the old ones like 'ugly yarn head.', to make her remember who she really is. We can spread some nasty rumors about her, and if we get the chance, we can find her outside and make fun of her there. We can tell her how much better school is without her, and how her friends are probably the ones no one else will even look at."

I faltered. These were all such mean things to do. Patrick saw my look.

"Is—something wrong with my ideas?"

I started. "No—it's just—what if her friends are like, real boys and they hurt us?" I squeaked in my cover up.

Patrick threw back his head and laughed. "You think Granger really has friends?" He put in between cackles. "No. Way. And even if she does, they'll be weak little nerds, nothing we cant take on. Do you really think I'd let them hurt you?" he asked.

I smiled at his reassurance that he would never let anyone hurt me. Maybe he would ask me out soon. But I still felt that wormy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

This year, I had learned that no one was really a horrible person. But if I spoke out, I would loose my friends for sure. I knew what I had to do. I crossed my arms defiantly. Patrick gave me a look like, "you better not do that." But he read my defiance wrong.

I knew that from now until the moment we met, I would spend every second convincing myself of one thing. Hermione Granger is a horrible person. She has ruined my whole year. She is public enemy #1.

"I think all of that is a great idea." I said. "Hermione Granger will finally be getting what she deserves."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again, I'm sorry it's short but hopfully the next chapter will make up for it. Fantastic FiveGolden Trio encounter coming up on saturday! But also, what do you think is wrong with Patrick? I'm curios as to what you guys think, so please tell me in a review, which are much appreciated by the way... So I hoped you liked it, and I love you all for reading! **

**~Lulu **


	11. The Encounter

**AN: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Haha, I was actually considering naming the chapter that but I decided the encounter was a better title. Anyway, I'm actually really nervous right now because this chapter has such high expectations, and it will be pretty hard to meet them. Anyway, I have reviews from last time to respond to. Before I do that though, I would like to thank everyone who did review, and everyone who told me their ideas about Patrick. All of them were really good, but there was one in particular that was really close... **

_**Cloggx:  
><strong>_**I chose to leave out the o at the end of your name because I think thats a typeo. Anyway, again, I'm so glad you like it! The thing is though, Brittany really isn't so sure how she feels so she can't say it. Even if she did feel bad about being mean to Hermione I doubt she would speak up because her number one goual is to get Patrick to ask her out. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! **

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Haha. Thanks again! You are such a faithful reviewer! **

_**MissCHSparkles:  
><strong>_**That's a good guess! It's definetly very possible, but sadly, thats not it. I hope theres enough intimadation in this chapter for you, I didn't really try to put any in. Honestly, when I wrote this, I didn't have any plan. It just sort of unfolded as it is. I hope you like it! Noff said. Lol. ;) **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad you liked it! Well, even if you don't really know, you'll find out soon enough. As in on tuesday. Anyway, I hope this chapter is good too! **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**Well, you're right. There was no Hermione interaction in the last chapter. I wrote it more as a warning of what's to come, so that you could see a little bit into what they're planing. I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Midnightstar-and-Echosong:  
><strong>_**Haha, school's been really easy for me lately for some reason, but I know exactly how it feels to be completely over-run with homework... Anyway, I'm so glad you liked both chapters! I really do enjoy getting into people's heads. I think this story is the best story I've written, personally, just because the characters sort of have minds of their own. Once you get a character like that, it's like they think for themselves. Anyway, I hope this chapter is good too! **

_**Rumbleroars Army:  
><strong>_**I agree! Hermione really doesn't deserve what's coming. But she's a tough gal. She'll come up with some witty way to get back at them! Here's the update! I hope you like it! **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**Patrick having a crush on Hermione is also a good guess. I wish I had thought of that one! I could have added it in for more drama, but anyway, I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I can tell you that he is really afraid that the five is losing power, and he blames it all on "That Granger nerd" but really he's bringing it on himself because everyone is wondering why they're all reacting so badly to such a small thing. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Me:  
><strong>_**Haha. So you like my little plot twist, hmm? It means so much to me that you think I'm an amazing author! But about my age, I'm not going to give you a strait answer because my mom found out that I told you guys I was going on vacations, and even though I didn't say where, she's freaking out thinking I'm going to be kidnapped. I will give you an age range though. I am between 16-10, meaning I could also be 16, or 10. (I'm not ten. I'm from the middle of the range to higher.) I don't think you're a creepy stalker person, and I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**I'm glad you're still with the story. Your guess that Patrick is a squib is really good too! Like all the other guesses, it's not right, but it's a good guess! It's not incredibly far fetched, and I wish I had thought of it! I'm hearing so many new ideas now, I'm temped to re-write this whole thing! I hope you like this chapter too! **

_**Call-Me-Cassandra:  
><strong>_**First, to anyone who hasn't read your story, Fortunate Son yet, its really good, and I recomend it. I'm glad you like this story. I am telling two different stories at the same time, you're right. But they relate, and their finally coming together in this chapter. I'm sorry that they don't really mesh for you though. That's bound to happen for some people. It means alot to me that you think they're well written though. If you're reading this chapter, I hope you like it! **

**Now, That's all the reviews from last chapter, and I don't have much left to say, except, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! I'm really sad that this story is sort of coming to a close. **_  
><em>

* * *

><p>Now, Hermione is coming home on the Hogwarts Express after a very eventful first year at Hogwarts<p>

I laughed.

I really, really laughed. Not the kind of weak chuckle someone makes so as not to be rude when someone tells a bad joke or the sort of high-pitched giggle a girl makes when she is around a guy she likes.

I was making deep, rolling sounds that filled the whole compartment, moving through the air like butter.

Like butter. That was how it felt to be with Harry and Ron. Everything was smooth and easy, and happy, like the yellow color. Sometimes, of course, we would all end up having to save the wizarding world, and that was quite nerve racking. But after that, it was like butter again. I guess that's what happens when you're friends with the boy who lived.

The magically amplified voice announced that we would be arriving at kings cross in 10 minutes. Still laughing, I got up and crammed my robes into my trunk.

"Dust! Why did it have to be dust?" Ron asked while attempting to wipe his tongue.

"That's what you get for eating a grey bean!" I told him, and laughed some more.

Another thing about my two best friends, they had really showed me how to have fun. Last year, I would have offered to get Ron a glass of water, or else kept quiet. Now, I made fun of him, the way a friend should. And also, last year, I would be wearing my uniform fully buttoned, and tucked in, even on the train ride home, but now, though my shirt was tucked in, my sleeves were rolled up, the top few buttons were undone, my tie was hanging out of my vest, and my socks were rolled down. I felt alive.

I walked out onto the muggle platform with Harry and Ron. I could see Ron's mother waiting for him, already hugging Percy. My parents were standing a few feet away. I saw Harry looking over at a large man with a maroon face.

"You must come and stay this summer. Both of you—I'll send you an owl." Ron said.

"Thanks. I'll need something to look forward too." Harry replied.

We walked farther out onto the muggle platform, toward Mrs. Weasley, while several people called to Harry.

"Still famous," Ron smirked, as his little sister started to jump around in the excitement of seeing Harry.

He was just thanking Mrs. Weasley for the Christmas presents, when the maroon faced man who was probably his uncle came over.

"Ready, are you?" he asked, eyeing Hedwig and looking rather furious to see his nephew. I noticed a thin, blond woman, and whale-like boy who was a cross between the two of them looking frightened behind him. They must be Dudley and Aunt Petunia.

"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley excitedly.

"In a manner of speaking." The man looked around to see if anyone he knew could see him talking to this woman. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He said to Harry and walked away.

"See you over the summer then." Said Ron.

"Hope you have—er—a good holiday," I said wondering how Harry could live with such a nasty person.

"Oh, I will. They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…" Harry said with a crafty smile on his face.

I walked over to hug my parents.

"How was the rest of the year?" my mom asked.

"Amazing." I replied. "You have to let me go back next year. You have to!"

Dad chuckled. "We will, we will. Don't worry. By the way, did you ever find out who that Nicholas Flamel was?"

"Oh yes. We did."

"Great!" Mom looked really pleased. "So are you ready to go home?"

I felt a bit guilty at that question. My dormitory at Hogwarts was my home. It certainly felt like it. But I couldn't bear to tell my mom that.

I sighed. "Lets go."

I was silent most of the ride home. In the beginning, my parents would ask the occasional question, but they gave up after they didn't get anymore than one word answers.

I was deep in thought. I was going home. My real home, where I had lived almost my whole life. But it felt like I was heading into a war zone. When I arrived, I would be completely alone. Fredrika was on vacation in Germany, so I would be greeted by just the hostile "fantastic" five. In her last letter, Fredrika had said:

"_Even though I don't go to Ramsgate anymore, I've heard that the 5 are really mad at you for getting into that school. It doesn't make any sense, but I hear they're planning to make your summer horrible. You better watch out. They're going to do some pretty nasty things" _

I hadn't been too worried at the time. What could they do to me that I couldn't do back with my wand? But I had forgotten something important. My wand would have to sit idle until September first. I was almost completely helpless! What was I going to do?

I unpacked by throwing all my things across the room. I was going to be alone this summer, so I needed something to do. It would take a lot longer to clean up this mess than it had taken to make it.

My first torment came the next day in the form of a plain envelope with just the word "Granger" written across the front. Though it was my family name, I knew it was for me.

I cautiously opened it. Inside was a letter that could only be from the 5. It was filled with horrible insults, and demeaning phrases.

"_Dear ugly yarn head, _

_When we found out you would not be with us this year, we had a party. We burned your picture out of the yearbook, and fed the ashes to my dog. We had the best year of our lives his year. School is so much better without you." _

Though the letter wasn't particularly witty, it hurt. It hurt a lot. Why did these people have to hate me? What had I done to them? I buried my face in my pillow and cried.

Summer went on. After I received my tenth letter, I just threw them away without opening them. My room was impossibly neat, and all my homework was long done. I wouldn't even go in the yard for fear they would ambush me.

One day, my mother noticed this.

"Hermione, you haven't been going outside very much. Why don't you go to the store to get some eggs for me?

I groaned. "I'm too tired!"

"Nonsense, You've been sleeping for the past 3 weeks!"

"I don't want to!" I screamed.

"Hermione Jean Grange," my mom said threateningly. "You will go to the store and get eggs because I told you to! What has gotten into you? You're normally so sweet!"

I turned around and stomped up the stairs. I couldn't go outside! Who knows what was waiting for me? My own mother was forcing me in to torment!

A few minutes later, I was dressed in the same khaki shorts I had worn to Diagon Alley last year, and a loose white t-shirt with a picture of a grey flower on it. I was wearing the same brown leather sandals I wore all the time, and my hair was in a sloppy pony tail. I put the money my mom gave me in my pocket and dashed out the door. I wanted to do this as quickly as I could.

I walked as fast as I could without running. Once I got into the area with all the shops, I started to spot children from my year at school. They were all staring at me. I could feel my cheeks turn red. I knew it. They knew something, but what? I walked even faster.

I hurriedly paid for the eggs and jogged home. I threw them into the fridge and ran to my room. I dug around in my overly neat desk drawer until I found what I was looking for. Fredrika had left me the number I could reach her on in her last letter. I ripped that bit off the letter, and ran to the phone. I dialed in the number and hoped. After a while, she answered.

"Fredrika, Ja?" she said in German.

"Fredrika, it's me. Hermione. Speak English please!"

"Oh. Hey Hermione. What's up?"

"Ok, so I just had to run into town, and when I was there, all the people were like—staring at me. Do you know what that's about?" I asked desperately.

"Have you been in town any other time this summer?"

"no."

"Obviously." She sighed. "Normally, I would try to avoid this, but since you're my friend, I'll be blunt. The five spread a rumor about you."

"WHAT?" I almost screamed.

"They told everyone on the last day of school, and it spread fast enough that I heard it before I left."

"You have got to be kidding me!" I said exasperated.

"Tell me about it." She sighed.

"Well—what did they say?" I demanded.

She sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot. "They said that the reason no one had heard of Hogwarts before was because it was a school for mental people."

"Excuse me?"

"I know its not true, Hermione, but—"

"I know you know, but what do you mean?"

"They said it was one of those schools for kids with mental problems, so they can go have therapy and supervision 24 hours a day. They said they were surprised you hadn't been accepted before this year, with all the problems you have. And they said that Harry and Ron were probably even worse than you are."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose to keep from screaming. Insulting me was one thing. I was used to it. But insulting Hogwarts was entirely different. But even worse than that, how dare they insult Harry and Ron? Both so smart, intelligent, friendly, and cool. There was no way they had mental problems. Not that mental problems where bad. I couldn't believe they were using them as an insult!

Fredrika was growing worried by the silence on my side of the line. "Hermione? Are you still there?"

"Yes, Fredrika, I am." I enunciated every letter.

"Are you mad? Oh, I shouldn't have told you! I can't belie—"

"Relax. I'm not mad at you. But how dare they insult Harry and Ron? And using disability as an insult? I cannot believe them. They will pay for this!"

"They should." Fredrika agreed sympathetically. "But how are you going to make them pay? They're the "fantastic five!" I could hear the sarcasm in her voice. "The whole school will back them up."

"I have to get them alone." I thought out loud. "And I'll need some help."

Suddenly, it was so obvious. "Uh—Fredrika, I have to—er—go now. I'll call you—some other time bye!" I slammed the phone down.

I had a plan. A good plan. Everything I needed to do would be so easy if I just played to what I had.

The five were in town everyday of the summer, all by themselves. I could count on them coming out of Dolly's, (a pub) at about one o'clock, like clockwork. If I could just get Harry and Ron to come with me, I could show them, prove to them, that I had the best friends anyone could ask for.

The days went by slowly. The only thing I had neglected to think about in my plan was how to get in touch with my friends. I didn't have an owl, so I would have to wait for one of them to owl me.

Waiting was excruciating. I had the perfect plan on my finger tips. If I didn't get an owl soon, I would have some major problems.

But the owl never came. One day, in the fifth week of summer, my mom announced that we were going to Diagon Alley to do my school shopping, I knew my time was up.

I reluctantly pulled on a cream colored shirt with a heart filled in with various flowers, and the same denim skirt I had worn to meet Dumbledore on that fateful day just over a year ago , and my favorite pair of brown leather sandals. I got in the car and rode to London with a heavy heart.

My first stop was Gringotts. The goblins didn't scare me anymore, so I got my money and left. I stood on the white marble steps outside the bank surveying the area. We would probably go the flourish and blott's next. I heard Gilderoy Lockheart was signing books today. I had a major school girl crush on him, not to mention that I needed all of his books for defense against the dark arts this—wait, could that be—

"Harry! Harry! Over hear!" I yelled. There he was, in the middle of the street covered in soot and talking to Hagrid. What could he have done this time?

I ran over to meet him, my parents following. "What happened to you classes?" I asked about the shattered lenses. I greeted Hagrid too, and then, out came Ron.

This was perfect! If I could just get them alone today, I could tell them my plan, we could do some prepirations, and then we could carry out our plan tomorrow!

As much as I loved Gilderoy Lockheart, I grew impatient as he spotted Harry and had to pause the book signing to take pictures with him. I barely even noticed when Mr. Weasley got into a fight with Lucius Malfoy. Finally, I got them alone outside of the shop.

"Finally." I sighed.

"Finally what?" Ron asked.

I suddenly had butterflies in my stomach. What if they said no? "I need your help with something." I told them as calmly as I could.

"What kind of something?" Ron asked again, looking slightly nervous this time.

"I have a plan." I answered.

Harry's eyes lit up at the word plan. "What kind of plan?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, there were these five people who went to my muggle school, and they were always really mean to me. Apparently, this year, they found out that I have friends now and they got really mad and spread rumors that Hogwarts was a school for kids with mental problems and that you guys had the worst problems in the school and that's why you were friends with me. I was just thinking that maybe you could-you know—show them that I'm perfectly happy and you guys are perfectly normal, in a health perspective…" I chuckled inwardly at how it seemed so normal to have magic powers. Everything had come out in a rush so I looked back at what I had said.

"No adventure." Harry asked as if he were disappointed but I knew he was joking.

"No, sorry." I laughed. "So will you?"

"Yes of cours—"

"Wait wait!" Ron cut in. "What exactly do you want us to do?"

"Well, just stand there and say good stuff like 'hogwarts is the best place I've ever been,' and 'Hermione is so cool!' when they talk to you."

"I don't know about the 'Hermione's so cool!' part, but—" Harry looked at Ron who nodded.

"Great!" I almost yelled. "So we'll need to discuss what to wear." I said.

"What to wear?" Ron looked disgusted.

"It's not a fashion show." I said quickly. "But these five put a lot of store in what people wear to show how comfortable they feel around the people their with. I think I know what to wear but you two…" I was thoughtful for a moment. "Well, Ron's taller so we should play up the sportier side, with sport shorts and a t-shirt for some muggle sport. Harry… you're really small—no offense—I know you're the best seeker Gryffindor's had in a while, but we'll have to make you just plain casual. Maybe longish shorts and a t-shirt and flip-flops—I'll ask mom to take us into muggle London!"

I ran over to my mom who was talking to Mr. Weasley. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Harry and Ron give each other looks. I could hear Harry say, "And now we see the girly side of Hermione."

"She is a girl, mate." Ron replied. Harry didn't know what to say to that.

An hour later, I found the perfect store full of boys clothing. I rushed inside, but looked back and saw the boys pretending not to see me.

"Come on!" I yelled at them playfully.

They trailed behind me as browsed through all the racks. I could tell they didn't want to be here. Finally, I had all the right clothes.

"Go try these on." I handed them each a heap of cloth.

It took longer than it should for them to come out of their stalls. They were probably examining every inch of themselves to make sure I didn't put them in anything embarrassing. When they finally came out, I was very proud of my work.

Harry came out first, more courageous than Ron. He was in a green t-shirt with the words "_I'll save the world one day!" _**(AN: I thought that was ironic) **in white letters on the front. I picked the green because it exactly matched his eyes and made them more noticable. Under that, he had on a pair of khaki colored cargo shorts that went down just past his knees, and a pair of brown leather flip-flops. I really seemed to like brown leather shoes. I walked over to him and mussed up his hair a bit more.

"Perfect."

"I'll admit this isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I expected to end up in a tutu." He laughed.

"Go change back. I'll pay for the clothes."

"Thanks. I really like them. I'll have to hide them from the Dursley's though." He walked back into his stall.

Finally, Ron came out. He was wearing a white t-shirt with the addidas logo and the word "Addidas" under it. I thought that seemed sporty enough. He was wearing a pair of long blue shorts made of a light, synthetic material that was almost shiny, and there were 2 black stripes running down the sides. On his feet, he was wearing white running shoes with black addidas stripes.

"Yes." I said. "What do you think?"

"It's not bad." He admitted.

"What were you expecting?" I laughed.

He turned red. "I don't know…"

"Go change." I told him. Harry waited outside with me while Ron changed back into his clothes. When he came out, we put everything onto the counter and my parents paid.

"What's this all for?" Dad asked.

"Oh, we're just having a little fun."

Outside the store, I handed Harry and Ron their separate bags. "So tomorrow, can you come to my house at about 11 o'clock wearing those clothes? We can have lunch and I'll tell you more details, but we have to be in town by 1. Does that work for you?"

"Yes." They said in unison.

"Great. This should be a lot of fun!"

At home, I went through the rest of the day trapped in my own head. I imagined countless ways the confrontation tomorrow would go. Finally, after a silent dinner, I went to bed to toss and turn all night.

In the morning, I got up at 8 even though I didn't really need to. I was going for the look of "not-trying-to-be-pretty-but-is-pretty." I got in the shower, making sure to use the smoothing shampoo I had used last summer. When I got out, I didn't blow dry my hair because I wanted it to poof out a bit.

I went into my room and pulled on the outfit I had put together mentally yesterday. A light pink t-shirt with the word "Muggle" written across the front in black, an early birthday present and a bit of a joke from my parents. When they had given it to me last night, they had said, "So you'll blend in," with a bit of a laugh.

Next, I pulled on my oldest pair of denim shorts. They used to be long pants, put I had cut them so that they went halfway down my thighs, and had fraying edges. I completed my casual look with three rubber wrist bands in black, green, and pink.

I brushed out my hair a bit so it was still bushy, but a little curlier. Then I grabbed a book and waited.

I hadn't expected them to be on time, and they didn't disappoint. At about 11:30, I hurt a loud "thud" from the living room. Floo powder, of course!

I walked in the room just in time to see my two best friends pick themselves off the floor and brush themselves off. Harry looked up at me and I saw that Mr. Weasley must have fixed his glasses.

"Hey." He said and helped Ron up.

"You're late." I stated the obvious.

"Yes. We are." Ron stood up and looked around. "Did you mention something about lunch yesterday? I'm starved!"

"Typical." I muttered. "Right this way."

I led them into the kitchen and put some water on to boil. As I did, I admired my work. I clothes I had picked out really suited them. I made them each look independent, cool, and handsome.

Once the water was on the stove, I sat down at the table with them.

"Okay." I said feeling very official. "I owe you some details. So basically, we're just going to confront these 5 people and prove them wrong. Their names are Brittany, Haden, Eliza, Carver, and Patrick. We can count on them coming out of Dolly's at about 1 o'clock so we should be in town by then."

"If we're just going to confront these people, why did we have to dress up?" Ron whined.

"I told you yesterday." I said bossily. "These people put a lot of store on how people dress while they're around other people. Look at me, I'm wearing worn out shorts and a t-shirt. That means I'm very comfortable around you. You guys are casual, so you're comfortable too. I also tried to make each of you look really cool and I think it worked."

"Muggle?" asked Harry. He completely ignored what I had just said but I knew he understood.

I smiled. "Yeah. My parents got it for me yesterday because I'll be away by my birthday and they wanted to give it to me in person. They said I'd blend in better."

They laughed. "Definitely. Especially since muggles will wonder what Muggle means!"

I was still laughing as I poured the box of pasta into the boiling water. I sat back down.

"All right all right." I sighed. "I really should warn you guys. These people are nasty. Just please try to be civil. Don't be nasty back. And don't blatantly talk about magic. You can hint about it, trust me, they're not smart enough to figure it out, but it'll make us laugh and laughing makes you seem happy, which is how we want to appear."

"How bad can they be?" Ron clearly didn't believe what I had said. "Nothing we cant handle!"

"They might try to provoke you. Please, please, please don't get in a fight."

They both rolled their eyes. We laughed and joked all through lunch. Finally, it was time to go. I slipped on my pair of white sneakers with pink trim. I stood up and was about to open the door when I spotted something sticking out of Ron's pocket.

"Wands please." I held out my hand. They made no move to hand them over. "Really guys? Do you really want to take those chances? What if you end up cursing one of the muggles into oblivion? That would show up on you're record. You'd be expelled!"

Harry sighed and handed his over. "I've already had a run in with the ministry this summer. Better not to do it again." He looked at Ron.

"Fine." He complained but handed his over. I went upstairs and stored them safely in my desk drawer. Finally, we headed into town.

We sat down on a bench right outside the pub. Suddenly, I thought of something.

"I forgot to mention this. These people, the girls at least, are a little bit scary in the way they dress. Try not to be fazed by that." They both sighed. "Well, lets start acting cool." I instructed.

"Act?" Ron pretended to look offended. "What do you mean 'act?' I'm always cool! I do not have to act."

"Oh, really?" I pretended to look surprised.

"Oh really?" Ron mimicked. I laughed. We went on with our fake argument until I heard a door open and shut. Still laughing, I looked up to see the 5 walking out of the pub. My eyes met Brittany's at the same time. I nudged Harry and Ron and we walked over to them as a pack.

Ron held back a mortified snicker. He finally believed what I had told him about scary clothing. It was like they had known we were coming and dressed at their very worst.

Haden, usually the most modest in her tight but flowing dresses was dressed in a very attention seeking hot pink dress. It had thin hot pink straps, and was tight to an empire waist. Then, after that, layers upon layers of pink frill were just visible under the hot pink satin skirt. It was almost like she was wearing a knee length tutu. To make it worse though, covering the whole dress was a layer of translucent white gauze, complete with hot pink polka-dots. She completed the horrifying look with a necklace of pink beads and teardrop shaped pink rhinestone, matching earrings, and hot pink t-strap sandals with 2 inch heels. Her hair was down, and wavy, while the strands that would fall in her face were pulled back over her head.

For once, Brittany was dressed slightly better than Haden, though not by much. Her hair was over styled by a long shot. It was parted on the side and much too full and shiny. It was smooth against her head, but just past her chin, It started to fan out a bit and curled into ringlets. She was wearing a very tight blue-purple silk shirt with a very low scoop neck and cap sleeves. Her skirt was made of some strange, heavy, shiny gold material. It was tight around her hips, but past that, it fell in folded layers to halfway down her thighs. She was wearing a very long strand of colorful pearls, way too much purple eye shadow, and purple pumps with heels that must have been 4 or 5 inches. How these people's parents let them go out of the house wearing what they wore would always evade me. She was also wearing a pair of oversized gold rimmed sunglasses in her hair. She would never do anything to hide her violet eyes.

Eliza was easily the scariest of all. She was wearing a dress that was grey on top, and covered in pictures of people Picasso might have drawn. It had short sleeves, and just above the waist, the dress thinned out so that the only fabric was covering her belly button and great chunks of her snowy sides were exposed. On her waist though, those chunks were covered by a very stiff and short tutu, made of three layers of frill, in yellow, pink, and purple. Her flaming hair was down, but pulled out of the way in a light blue bandana tied on top of her head. Her shoes were pale pink and pointy toed, with 3 inch heels and satin ribbons tied around her ankles. Her lips were a bright and unnatural shade of red, and worst of all, huge circles of grey eye shadow were around her eyes, making her look like a raccoon.

Carver and Patrick were both wearing t-shirts and shorts, though Carver's were denim, and Patrick's were red athletic.

We stood there, taking each other in for what felt like a long time. I could practically read Brittany's thoughts off her face. _What? How can she be so comfortable around _boys_? _She just didn't understand. Boys could be just your friends. You didn't have to be in a relationship.

Finally, Brittany broke the awkward silence. "Well look who's back." She said coldly, finishing with a glare. Eliza's face was carefully neutral, while Patrick wore a look that could kill and Haden and Carver looked like they wanted to run away.

"I am back," I said calmly. But then, I remembered my manners. "This is Harry," I motioned to Harry, and then I motioned to Ron. "And this is Ron, by the way. My best friends."

"Ah. The famous Ron and Harry. We've heard so much about you!" she pretended to be sweet. Harry glanced at me nervously. The look on his face clearly said, _how much do they know? _I shook my head a tiny bit "And why are you here?" Brittany continued.

"We came to visit 'Mione." Ron said. I smiled at the disgusted looks on the faces of the 5 at my nick name.

"I mean, how long can you go without seeing your best mates?" asked Harry.

"It has been a very long summer, and I'm sad to think that you guys have to leave tonight." I admitted. But then, my voice filled with excitement. "But only a little more than a week before we go back to school!" I turned, slapping Harry and Ron each double high-fives.

Patrick looked disgusted, but happy at the same time. He was clearly back in his element. "You're excited to go back to school? You must be even more of a geek than I thought! And that's saying something." he said incredulously, though I could tell it was fake.

"Maybe not a geek—but I do love my school!" I finished enthusiastically.

Patrick shook his head and chuckled. "How can you love a school for people who need help?"

"It's not a school for people who need help. It's for people who are gifted."

"Like you're not." Harry added.

"And it's the best place I've ever been!" finished Ron.

Brittany flipped her hair angrily while Patrick took great steadying breaths. I could tell they were all looking for something hurtful to say.

"Schools are not good places." Eliza said lamely.

"This one is!" Harry raved. "Dumbledore is so nice! He lets us get out everything!"

"Which we take advantage of." Ron admitted.

"We're his favorites…" I bragged childishly. We're his favorites. But also, the food is great! We have the best feasts, and the normal meals are what I would have considered feasts before. The dorms are so comfortable, and they have such great views because they are up in a tower. And the people are really nice! I've made friends for life!"

"Malfoy." Ron muttered.

"I was thinking that too," I admitted. "But do you remember getting him in detention?"

"That was the funniest thing ever!" Harry said.

"Bu-but Potter, and Weasley, an-and Granger! They're out here too! With a dragon!" Ron mimicked his high, whiny voice. I laughed. The five were watching our monologue with snotty glares on their faces.

"Who's Dumbledore?" Haden was curious. I saw Brittany elbow her sharply in the ribs. She may have been mad, but this was perfect for me. I want to rub everything I could in their faces.

"Dumbledore is the head master. You see, he has a soft spot for us, his fellow Gryffindors. Malfoys a Slytherin." I finished by wrinkling my nose to show that Slytherins weren't good.

"Houses." Said Harry at the confused looks we were getting. "Gryffindor's the best house of course, but Slytherin turns out all the evil people."

"So they serve you good food, big deal! I get good food at home. What makes Pigfarts so great?"

"Hogwarts. They teach us-" Ron wiggled his fingers mystically. "Magic."

I covered up serge of panic. What was he thinking? Stupid pure-blood. "Oogley boogley." I laughed as if it was all a joke. Harry caught on and laughed too.

"Seriously?" Brittany sighed. "No body believes in magic. You are so immature. I bet you're school sucks."

Good. She didn't believe. "Well, it'll always be better than the old place you go to."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Is your school so big it takes 15 minutes to get across? Do you have a lake? A beach?" They were all speechless.

"You don't have a beach." Carver didn't believe me.

"Not a big one, but a beach none the less." I replied.

Awkward silence again. "So what's wrong with your friends?" Patrick finally asked.

"Nothing." I replied, knowing what was coming.

"So why are they your friends?" he asked with fake innocence.

I casually put my hand on Harry's shoulder, making it look like a friendly gesture. Really, I was preparing to restrain him. He looked like he was going to attack soon, and I wouldn't put it past him. "Look." I started. "They are my friends because they like me. I think the real question is why they all like you." I waved my hand at the other 4.

"I am a perfectly good person!" he yelled.

"Bossy, selfish, mean, controlling, ignorant dumb—" I rattled off his character traits.

"Patrick is not mean!" Brittany screamed.

"Whoa! Aggressive!" Ron muttered. I turned my laugh into a snort.

Brittany gave a terrifying glare. Then flipped her hair again.

"Ramsgate is so much better without you." She said.

"Well one of my favorite things about Hogwarts is that you're not there." I replied smoothly.

"Hmph." She muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Harry and Patrick staring each other down.

"At school you're probably the one everyone hates." Patrick tried to insult me.

"That would be you, actually. The whole world hates you, you know."

He gnashed his teeth together.

"Well. At least I don't wear crappy t-shirts like you do. What does that say? Muggle? That's not even a word." Eliza declared self righteously.

That did it. I glanced over at Harry, then Ron. All of a sudden we started laughing. I laughed harder than I ever have. Even harder than that day coming home on the Hogwarts Express. We laughed for a long time too. It must have been atleast two minutes. I could feel the eyes boring into the back of my head as I bent over to help my cramping stomach. Finally, I sighed and gave one last chuckle and stood up.

"What so funny?" Haden asked. That set off another minute of laughing.

"What does muggle mean?" she demanded. She clearly didn't like being out of the loop.

"I told you they would wonder." Ron muttered. We laughed for another minute. They were growing impatient.

"Seriously!" She almost screamed.

"Muggle." I whispered so I wouldn't laugh. "It's this word we use at our school." Ron snorted. I closed my eyes to keep from laughing again.

"Well, what does it mean?" Brittany's curiousity finally got the better of her.

"It means, well, this shirt is sort of a joke—because—well—I'm not a muggle."

"I should hope not. Malfoy would have a field day!" Muttered Ron and we laughed some more.

"It's this word we use for people who—er—aren't allowed to come to Hogwarts."

"So you've invented a kind word for people without brain damage?" Patrick asked innocently.

"No, its for someone who doesn't have the—the talent to get into Hogwarts."

"Some people at our school consider them lesser beings." Ron said. I snorted.

"So what? Just because you're smart means you think other people are worthless? They obviously don't teach you anything at that school." Haden said angrily.

"Not necessarily smarter." I replied hastily. "Some people there are really stupid. The Hogwarts admissions board does a nation wide sweep every year for people who have more of a certain—power." I replaced magic.

"Oh it's power." Harry nodded his head.

"So what? You think you're super heros?" Carver said.

I was thoughtful. "In a way, I guess, but not everyone at school is a hero. Some are villains."

"You know what? You guys are lying. Your school is for loopy people. You all think you have magic powers, you make up words, and you think teachers are nice!" Patrick shouted at the top of his lungs. He had clearly had enough.

"So we think we have magic powers, do we?" Ron asked with a completely strait face.

I couldn't take it anymore. All the laughter I was holding in came out in a rush, and then some. I laughed until there were tears pooling on my neck and I couldn't breath. We must have set a record, for all three of us must have laughed for at least 5 minutes.

"Fine!" Patrick shouted. "You be that way. But you're not as great as you think! You'll end up as a beggar on the streets of London, with no money, and you'll remember today and think how stupid you were!" He stormed away, into the alley between buildings. Brittany ran after him, followed by the rest of them.

"I'll remember this day." I muttered. We laughed some more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So. Did that live up to everyone's expectations. I would appreciate reviews telling me, and if everyone hates it, I'll re-writre it with more actions or somthing. Also, if anyone else has ideas about Patricks problem, I really enjoy reading them. But I also have an update on the Fredrika chapter. I had writers block for that story the last few days, so I wrote a different story about Petunia's jealousy of Lily. It's a one shot, and I think I'll post it after this story is done. I'll either call it <em>Simple Things, <em>or _The Epitome of Normal. _If you don't mind, I would also appreciate feedback on which title is more interesting to you. **

**The next chapter I'm posting on tuesday is the encounter from the Fives POV and also a little bit more where Patrick reveals why he hates Hermione so much. The chapter after that will be Fredrika. I'll probably be able to finish by a week from today when I'm due to put it up. Hopefully I won't procrastinate. Anyway, I hope you liked it! **


	12. Patrick's Problem

**AN: Wow... I never thought this day would come. I'm posting chapter 12! I can't believe this story is almost over! The reaction to this has been really really great, and I would like to thank every person who has ever read this, and especially my reviewers. Every time I check my email and see a new review, it makes my day. Anyway, I owe it to my reviewers to respond to them when they take time out of their day to give me feed back, so... **

_**MissCHSparkles:  
><strong>_**I'm really really glad you liked this chapter! I was so nervous that I had built up everyone's expectations and then let them down. I really liked writing the confrontation, and seeing the five finally get what they deserve. I had almost as much fun as Hermione did. So, about the whole pub thing, thats my mistake. See, I really like the word pub, (it's so fun to say!) so I put it in the story. I always imagined it as more of a resteraunt or diner though. Really sorry about that... I hope you don't mind. **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**Ah, the muggle t-shirts. I should have put that in a disclamer of somthing because they really are real. I have one, but its red with white writing. I thought it was the best idea ever, and I was wondering what would happen if a wizard wore it in a world where the books don't exist... Anyway, I'm sorry but I don't think I'm going to write about anything at Hogwarts. Maybe if I feel like it one day, I'll add it to this story, but I don't think I will. I just really don't like having strict guidlines about what I have to write. I have to agree with you about the tube stations. That's one thing I do remember about london is that there were lots of people sleeping in the corners. I didn't really understand the whole 'homeless' thing then though. I live in a suburb so we don't get many people like that here, but when I do go into big cities, thats the part that I hate the most. So, you will soon find out Patrick Perks problem...**

**_penguincrazy:  
><em>I'm so happy you liked it! I really enjoyed writing that chapter more than anything I've ever writen before, so it means alot to me that so many people think I did a good job. I hope this chapter doesn't disapoint. Patricks problem coming up! It's kinda cliche though... **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**Haha! Thanks so much! I'm so happy you like it! I really like the muggle t-shirt thing too, but sadly I can't claim the credit for that. They are real, like I said above, and I have one. (I love it! It's my favorite shirt!) I like you're idea about Patrick too. I never even considered that he wanted to get away. But sadly, that's not it. You'll find out soon enough though. Hope you like it! **

**Me:  
><strong>**Thanks so much! I'm so happy you like it! The part at the end where the were talking about magic was awkward, I agree, but it got on the fives nerves so it was all worth it. ;) I'm so sad that this story is almost over too! Just one chapter left! The reaction has been amazing, and I've gotten so many reviews! But on the bright side, I get to start over completley and write a new idea with no expectations. If you do recomend this to your friends, that would be great! The saddest thing about this story being close to finished is that it is going to be forgotten pretty soon... But I hope you like this chapter! **

**Rumbleroars Army:  
><strong>**Yay Hermione! Yes, I completly agree. That shy girl has come so far. I know people say revenge isn't worth it, but somtimes it really is. The five are about 12, I know they might seem a bit grown up for their age, but it needed to be that way for the story to work. I can't really explain why they hate Hermione, it's just one of those things. They've picked on her for most of their lives, and now she's off being better than them. In their minds, this is completley wrong. Patrick has his own reasons, which you will find out soon... ;) **

**Anna Luna:  
>Haha! Thanks so much. I think I have to quote you here: "Go Hermione!" Yes indeed. ;) She's come so far. I think that was really the moment for her when she really started to feel that she could do anything. That lead to punching Malfoy two years later. (loveeeee that part) Heres the next chapter! Hope you like it!<strong>

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much!**

**_kyler1991:  
><em>I'm so glad you liked it! The golden trio always seems to win, don't they... ;) I'm really glad that you liuke what's I've written! I was always really worried that if people found out about how old I am, they might not take me seriously anymore, so I'm really relieved that you still think I'm a good writer! That really means alot to me. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! **

**I'm at a loss for words right now. Everyone has been really great to me, and I don't know how else I can say it. You guys pretty much know what this chapter is about already, so I'll just set it up. It's early in the summer, the day after Hermione came home from school. The five are starting their revenge plans... **

* * *

><p>Now, Brittany will tell her side of the encounter<p>

"Dolly's, now! Granger came back yesterday." Patrick's call woke me up. Before I had time to reply, there was a click, and a dial tone.

I put the phone back in its cradle on my nightstand and forced myself out of bed. A glance at the clock told me it was just past 8, much too early for the summer holiday. Patrick was really into our revenge plan.

I quickly did my hair into two low braids, and pulled on a simple outfit of white capris and a blue-purple tunic. I grabbed a few pounds and stuffed them in my pocket and slipped my feet into black flip-flops, and headed out the door.

When I arrived, I was the last one there, like always. It looked like I wasn't the only one who was awoken way before the normal time.

Haden's curtain of thick dark chocolate hair was lumpy and messy, a first for her. Also, it was entirely behind her back like she wasn't going out of her way to show it off, another first. She was wearing a tight black tank top and a pair of the most hideous loose earthy khaki colored shorts, and her brown flats. She hadn't even tried to look nice.

Eliza looked like Eliza. I couldn't tell if she had dressed quickly or not because, though her outfit was very strange, she always dressed that way. Her legs must have been sweltering. She was wearing a pair of very tight black leather pants and black ankle height sneakers that were absolutely covered in glitter. Her shirt was a bright yellow tank top that she had tied at her waist to make it half length. In the middle of the shirt, was a black shape, the silhouette of a cats head, with glowing yellow dots the color of the shirt for eyes.

I yawned. "So what do you want, Patrick?" I asked.

"Granger came back yesterday. I've been watching her house."

"You've been stalking her?" Eliza asked.

"No! I just wanted to make sure we got our plan under way as soon as possible."

I rolled my eyes. "We already started the plan, remember? We already spread that rumor about her."

"Well, yes, but we need to start the plan on her directly."

"So why did we need to be here so early?"

"We need to start up our plan! I've already said that!" I groaned. Patrick was so confusing sometimes.

"And what exactly do you plan to do?" asked Haden grumpily. She was obviously not a morning person.

"Well, I was thinking that we should start off small, maybe with one of those notes we were talking about?"

"Ok then, and do you have any paper?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He said, and he pulled out a piece of rumpled paper, an envelope, and a pen from his pocket. "So. What should we write?"

"I'll do it!" I volunteered. I figured that if I was going to keep to the promise I had made to myself to make Granger's life hell, than I should do it right. I bent over the paper, and when I was done, I showed everyone else the note in my disguised handwriting.

**"**Dear ugly yarn head,

When we found out you would not be with us this year, we had a party. We burned your picture out of the yearbook, and fed the ashes to my dog. We had the best year of our lives this year. School is so much better without you."

"That's perfect!" Patrick said.

I felt my heart go warm at his praise. He put the note in the envelope and wrote "Granger" on the front.

"Let's go deliver it, shall we?" he asked.

"We shall." I replied. Then, to my surprise, he offered me his arm. I giggled. "Why thank you, my good man." I said, keeping up with the proper façade.

"Why, you're quite welcome my good woman." He replied.

I giggled some more and we walked out of the center of town, arms linked, as the three behind us gave us strange looks.

As I walked, I couldn't have been more content. Patrick was really such a nice guy sometimes. He was funny, brilliant, brave… and to top it all off, I think he liked me. It would only be a matter of weeks before he asked me out. Maybe by the end of summer!

We dropped the letter in Granger's mailbox, and crouched under her porch, waiting for her to open the door. Patrick had insisted that we wouldn't jump out at her today.

"I want to save the best for last." He had said.

What he meant by that was he wanted to torment Granger as much as possible before we met her in person, so she would be as flustered as possible. Honestly, I had to agree with him. If we could get Granger in the state we wanted, she might have an emotional break down and then she might even admit what her school was really like. That would be two scores in one!

We heard Granger come out to get her mail, and when she closed the door, we scrambled up on the porch and looked through the window to see her reaction. We weren't disappointed. When she read the note, she had just enough time to tear it up and put it in the trash before she burst into tears and ran up the stairs.

Patrick laughed bitterly. "What a baby!"

I laughed too. "I know! I can't wait for the rest of the summer."

For the rest of the summer, we sent her notes almost everyday. At first, she would read them, but then we noticed that she just threw them away without a second glance. There was nothing we could do about that, but we kept sending them.

"She's ignoring all our attempts to get to her!" Patrick ranted one day. "We have to meet her in person now, if we want this to work!"

"There's a problem with that though, Patrick." I said. "She won't go out of her house! We can't go to her because thats illegal, so she has to come to us!"

"She'll go outside eventually." Patrick said confidently. "She can't stay inside all summer."

But it seemed like she could. We waited for her, day after day, but she just wouldn't leave her little hidey hole.

One day, we were discussing this over lunch at Dolly's.

"The plan's not working, Patrick!" I insisted.

"She's right mate." Carver spoke up. "She just isn't leaving her house! We need to think of some other way to get to her!"

"But what can we do?" Haden asked.

The waiter came and took away our empty plates, and we walked out.

"I'm not sure…" Patrick thought for a moment. "Maybe we could telephone her—"

He was cut off by Emily Shedd. "Haden, Haden!" She called.

Haden rolled her eyes, and turned around. "What?" she asked, trying not to sound exasperated.

"Hermione Granger!" She said excitedly. "She was just here! She went into the grocery shop and bought some eggs, but she looked like she was in quite a hurry to get back home—"

"WE MISSED HER?" bellowed Patrick. Emily left with a scared look on her face.

"Calm down." I told him. "I'm sure she'll come out again."

"But she knows we're waiting for her!" he yelled more. "'She looked like she was in quite a hurry to get back home' is what Emily said. She knows and she won't come out again."

"Wait, Emily!" Haden called after her to get more details.

Emily turned around, looking wary. "Yes?"

"What did Granger look like?"

"I think you might have been right about that school being a mental institute. Her hair was really messy, and she was wearing a stupid t-shirt and shorts."

"Thank you!" Haden called, and Emily turned to walk away again. Then Haden turned around and faced us. "So she was looking rather disheveled, then. Maybe that means we gotten to her."

"So we should just keep doing what we're doing." Eliza said.

This seemed to calm Patrick down. "Alright." He said. "But if we don't get to talk to her in person, this summer will be wasted."

So that's what we did. What we were doing. We delivered daily notes, tried to call her on the phone, and we watched her house. Once, we even saw her leave in her car. We were running out of summer, so we briefly considered jumping out and attacking it, but decided against it quickly. Her mother was driving. At the end of the day, she came back and carried lots of bags and oddly shaped boxes into her house, and I assumed she must have been school shopping. But why couldn't she have done that at the office supply store in town?

"Wait, what is that?" I whispered, pointing at a round-ish black pot she was holding now.

"A cauldron." Eliza humored me. "She a witch." We all giggled a bit.

The next day in Dolly's, it dawned on us all that we had exactly one week left to confront her.

"This just isn't working." Haden said.

"I know." I replied glumly. "She just won't play our game."

"Before you know it, she'll be back at that school of hers and it'll be another year until we have this opportunity again."

Patrick was staring down at his plate. "I can't believe we failed." He muttered.

"We didn't fail—" I tried to comfort him but he cut me off.

"Yes we did! Did we meet Granger this summer? No! We didn't! And now, she'll go back to school and keep on sending lies back to us!"

"But we can try again next year!" I informed him.

"Maybe we can, but that means another year of battling to stay relevant! I don't want to do that again!" he shouted.

People were starting to stare at us. "Maybe we should take this outside?" suggested Haden.

I nodded. "Good idea. Let's go." I took Patrick's hand and walked with him out the door.

I stopped suddenly. It was like all my dreams had come true. There was Granger, sitting on the bench across the street, laughing with two other people. My eyes met mine at exactly the same time, and I did my best to shoot her my most powerful glare, but she didn't even cringe. She just nudged the people sitting on either side of her, and they got up to meet us.

Then, it occurred to me. She had been laughing with two other people. That meant she did actually have friends. And they were boys! She hadn't been lying! I desperately wanted to turn to Patrick and ask what to do, but she was watching us, and I didn't want to show weakness.

They stood in front of us, and we silently looked each other over, though there was an immense amount of tension in the air. I could hear one of the boys muffle a laugh, as he stared at our outfits.

For once, I wasn't even staring at their outfits. Just one glance told me that the were hideous, crappy, and casual. I couldn't believe that any boy could actually dress casual around that excuse for a girl. I knew if that was me, I would be wearing all my fanciest clothes to show off.

To save myself from going blind by looking at the clothes they were wearing, I looked at the people. The boy on Granger's left was short, and had messy black hair. I hated to admit it, but I found that adorable. He also had round glasses, but behind them, I could see stunning and gorgeous emerald green eyes.

The boy on her right was very tall, and had vivid red hair. His eyes were a deep soulful blue, and his long nose was covered by swarms of freckles. I wondered which boy was which. Which one had dead parents? Which one had a huge family? I thought their names were Larry and Don, but I had forgotten their descriptions.

Even Granger, somehow looked better. I remembered somthing my mother had told me once. Confidence makes a girl. That had to be it, because it definitely wasn't her clothes. Granger had confidence now, strutting around town with her boyfriends at her side. And the funny thing was, her confidence made me feel lower. Why did she have a boyfriend before Brittany Morris did?

Finally, I was done looking them over, so I broke the tense silence. "Well look who's back." I glared at her.

Once again, my glare had no effect. "I am." She confirmed calmly. Then she motioned to the boy on her left, with the black hair. "This is Harry," then the red head, "And this is Ron by the way. My best friends."

What was this world coming to? Hermione Granger wasn't supposed to have friends at all, let alone best friends! I fought to keep my face strait. "Ah. The famous Harry and Ron." I said sickly sweet. "We've heard so much about you. And why are you here?" I was pleased to see that the boy who was Harry glanced over at Granger to see how much we knew. I thought I remembered him to be the one with dead parents and I could have bet he didn't want us to know. I smiled. I liked knowing things I wasn't supposed to.

"We came to visit "Mione." The boy who was Ron answered.

"I mean, how long can you go without seeing your best mates?" Asked Harry. I blanched. So they were best mates on a first name basis, with a nick name. That confirmed what I was dreading most. She really did have friends. If there was one thing I hated, it was not being able to say that she was just a liar. That had really been my last hope.

"It has been a very long summer, and I'm sad to think that you guys have to leave tonight." she said sadly.

Oh, boohoo. She won't be with her friends. We should feel terrible. I thought sarcastically. I wished that Granger would just go back to her nerdy self so we could make fun of her some more. I wasn't disappointed.

"But only a little more than a week before we go back to school!" She added excitedly, slapping the boys double high fives.

Patrick's grimace was replaced by the familiar disgusted sneer he wore when he was making fun of somebody. "You're excited to go back to school? You must be even more of a geek than I thought, and thats saying somthing!" Patrick was feeling more comforable now, so I felt myself losen up as well.

"Maybe not a geek-but I do love my school!" she replied unfased.

Patrick was in his element. "How can you love a school for people who need help?" he chuckled.

"It's not a school for people who need help. It's a school for people who are gifted." she insisted calmly.

"Like you're not." Harry added.

"And it's the best place I've ever been!" Ron said enthusiastically.

I hated how I continued to see more and more of their friendship. Nicknames, best mates, and now they were finishing each other's sentences, and insulting us! Patrick was trying not to explode, while I flipped my hair, trying to make it catch the light. It would be so cool if Harry or Ron so that I was so much prettier than Granger and asked me out right now! I would say no, of course, but it would make Patrick jealous and maybe speed up that relationship a bit more.

"Schools are not good places." Said Eliza. I cringed inwardly. That was the worst come back I had ever heard.

"This one is!" Harry replied. "Dumbledore lets us get away with everything!" Who was Dumbledore?

"Which we take advantage of." Ron admitted.

"We're his favorites. But also, the food is great! We have the best feasts, and the normal meals are what I would have considered feasts before. The dorms are so comfortable, and they have such great views because they are up in a tower. And the people are really nice! I've made friends for life!" Granger bragged. What did she mean by tower though?

"Malfoy." Ron said under his breath. Again, what was a malfoy? Now they were really getting on my nerves. I could swear they were doing this on purpose, trying to make us ask questions.

"I was thinking that too." Granger said. "But do you remember getting him in detention?" Here she goes again, talking about all her adventures.

"That was the funniest thing ever!" Harry laughed.

"Bu-but Potter, and Weasley! And G-granger! Th-they're out here t-too! W-with a dragon!" Ron mimicked. With a Dragon? What? I hated inside jokes. The ones I wasn't in on, of course.

"Who's Dumbledore?" Haden asked. I had been praying she wouldn't do that. She was so curious sometimes. Of course she had to though. We wanted to seem uninterested, and unhurt, but Haden just had to go and seem just the opposite, which was exactly what they wanted. I elbowed her in the ribs to show her I wasn't happy.

"Dumbledore is the head master." Granger answered willingly. "You see, he has a soft spot for us, his fellow Gryffindors. Malfoy's a Slytherin." She wrinkled her nose. I hadn't understood half that sentence. What was a Gryffindor? Or a Slytherin? I could assume that Malfoy was another kid then, since they had gotten him detention. They obviously didn't like him very much. Why was it ok for perfect Granger to be a bully?

We must not have done a very good job keeping our faces neutral, becuase Harry answered my unspoked question. "Houses. Gryffindor's the best house of course, we're in it, but Slytherin turns out all of the evil people." So I had learned another thing about that dratted school. There were houses, and house rivalry.

"So they serve you good food, big deal!" Carver said. "I get good food at home. What makes Pigfarts so great?"

"Hogwarts." Ron corrected. "They teach us magic."

Granger looked panicked for a second, but then started to laugh. "Oogley boogley!" She wiggled her fingers. They all laughed.

I was tired of them being the happy ones. By this time in our meeting, Granger was already supposed to have run home crying. "Seriously? Nobody believes in magic. You are so immature. I bet your school sucks."

"Well, it'll always be better than the old place you go to." Granger retorted.

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah." she answered. "Is your school so big it takes 15 minutes to get across? Do you have a lake? A beach?"

I didn't know what to say to that.

"You don't have a beach." Carver tried to call their bluff.

"Not a big one, but a beach none the less." She contradicted.

We were still stunned silent, until Patrick tried to restart the conversation. "So what's wrong with your friends?" he asked.

"Nothing." she replied inocently.

"So why are they your friends?" he asked again. Granger put her hand on Harry's shoulder. He looked like he could have exploded.

"Look. They are my friends becuase the like me. I think the real question is why they," she motioned to us, "all like you."

"I'm a perfectly good person!" he yelled back.

"Bossy, selfish, mean, controlling, ignorant, dumb-"

"Patrick is not mean!" I yelled. How dare she insult the man I love?

"Whoa! Agressive!" Ron said. Granger tried not to laugh.

I glared at him, and flipped my hair again, still hoping to be asked out. "Ramsgate is so much better without you!"

"Well one of my favorite things about Hogwarts is that you're not there." She retorted smoothly. Granger had always been good at coming up with witty come backs. I hated that about her.

I had nothing to say to that besides, "Hmph." I turned slightly to watch Patrick and Harry staring each other down. I could see the evidence of a silent coversation and I wondered what they were saying.

"At school, you're probably the one everyone hates." Patrick cut off with Harry and tried to insult Granger.

"That would be you, actually. The whole world hates you, you know." She replied.

Again, he was stumped. All he could do was look scary.

"Well, at least I don't wear crappy t-shirts like you do." Eliza declared. I had a feeling this one wouldn't end well either. "What does that say? Muggle? That's not even a word."

Granger looked at Harry, and then at Ron. Just a second later, as if on cue, they went into hysterics. They were rolling on the ground laughing, Rons eyes were leaking tears. It was another inside joke, another thing to hate her for.

Just as they were about to stop, Haden asked, "What's so funny?" and that set thm off again. "What does Muggle mean?" she demanded.

Ron muttered, "I told you they would wonder." and they laughed more.

"Seriously!" Haden raised her voice.

"Muggle." Granger whispered. She looked like she was doing everthing in her power not to laugh. I wondered how funny the joke would be if I was in on it.

"It's this word we use at- our school." She had to close her eyes to keep from laughing more.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Well, what does it mean?" I asked.

"It means, well, this shirt is sort of a joke becuase-well-I'm not a muggle." That wasn't very helpful becuase I still didn't know what a muggle was.

"I should hope not! Malfoy would have a field day!" Ron said laughing some more. More with this Malfoy person. I was getting so angry!

"It's this word we use for people who-er-aren't allowed to come to Hogwarts.

"So you've invented a word for people without brain damage?" Patrick retorted.

"No, it's for someone who doesn't have the-the talent to get into Hogwarts." Granger specified.

"Some people consider them lesser beings." Ron added.

"So what? Just becuase you think you're smarter than everyone else means that you think other people are worthless? They obviously don't teach you anything at that school." Haden was angry. I knew that she wished deep inside that she had gone to City, to prove to the rest of the world that she was smart. These people rubbing it in her face that they went to a super exclusive school wasn't helping.

"Not necessarily smarter." Granger said quickly. "Some people there are really stupid. The Hogwarts admissions board does a nation wide sweep every year for people who have more of a certain-power." She seemed have improvised the word power.

"Oh, its power." Harry agreed.

"So what? You think you're super heros?" Carver mocked.

Granger thought for a moment. "In a way, I guess, but not everyone at school is a hero. Some are villans.

"You know what? You guys are lying!" Patrick had reached his breaking point. "Your school is for loopy people! You all think you have magic powers, you make up words, and you think teachers are nice!"

"So we think we have magic powers, do we?" Ron asked.

Suddenly, they all started laughing again, even harder than before. They laughed and laughed. This time they were all rolling on the ground and crying.

"Fine!" Patrick screamed. "You be that way. But you're not as great as you think! You'll end up ass a beggar on the streets of London, with no money, and you'll remember this day and think how stupid you were!" He stormed away down the alley shortcut to his house. I ran after him, and the rest of them followed me.

We found him sitting on the ground halfway to his house. I ran to comfort him. "Patrick, its ok! It doesn't matt-"

"YES IT DOES!" He exploded. "We failed, Brittany! She didn't break like we hoped she would! She's going to go back to that school, have more fun, and we have to stay here and listen to everyone question our athouraity!"

"We can just ignore it-"

"NO! WE CAN'T! Just becuase we ignore somthing doesn't mean everyone else will! You saw that all year!"

"It will be fine-"

"NO! STOP BEING SO OPTIMISTIC! I-people know that Granger is at a better school, they'll stop respecting us, and then we'll be as good as unpopulars! Just-just leave me alone!" He ran away down the alley.

I turned to the 3 left. "You should go. I'll find him." I ran down the alley to his house.

I found him in his hiding spot, under the porch. To my dismay, he was crying.

"Patrick! Patrick! It's ok!"

"No-o-o!" He sobbed.

"It's ok! I'm here."

"You can't make it ok! Its m-m-more than that."

"No its not."

"Y-yes! It is! It's my s-sister."

Your twin? Sally-Anne?"

"Y-yes her."

"What about her? I've never met her before. She always went to that other school, didn't she? She was selected to go to that school for really smart people at the end of kindergarten."

"Sh-she's at that school too!"

"She's at Hogwarts?"

"Y-yes! She got accepted, but not me! We get l-l-letters home e-every day about how w-w-wonderful it is and-d I can't g-go-o!"

I didn't know what to say to that. Eventually, I came up with, "Why don't you just ignore them?"

"I-I cant! Every d-day, I hear about the m-m-magnificent building, the wonderful classes, th-the super food, and h-how happy she-she is and I can't s-s-stand it!

"It will be fine!"

"No! Brittany, you just don't get it! I used to like you, y-you know, but your-r so n-n-nosy! Y-you don't understand a-at all! I h-h-hate you!"

Now, it was my turn to cry. I ran out from under the porch and sobbed all the way home. Patrick was the love of my life! And now, we weren't even friends! I didn't know what I was going to do, going back to school with Patrick hating me. Who was I going to hang out with?

It felt like I was on one of those terrible prank shows I've always hated. The ones where people play a horrible prank on someone, video tape their reaction, and then come out with all those fancy cameras and make them admit what just happened. My whole, wonderful life was a prank, and they had finally come out to tell me so. Soon, I was going to have to turn around and say:

My name is Brittany Morris, and Hermione Granger ruined my life.

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><p><strong>AN: So? What do you think? I'm not sure if all of you remember Sally-Anne Perks from the first book. She was only ever mentioned when she was sorted right before Harry, and then in the fifth book when Flitwick was calling out names fo O.W.L.s she wasn't there anymore. Nothing about her was ever known, so I decided to make her the Muggle-born twin sister of Patrick Perks. I chose to use her because she is the least mentioned person in Hermione's year and I didn't want it to be too obvious what was going to happen whenever I used Patrick's last name. Anyway, so do you think the whole think is too cliche? I'm honestly not sure about it myself... but reviews are always appreciated! I'm not done with the Fredrika chapter yet, and I'm finding that writing it is easier said than done. Hopefully it will be done by saturday, but if not, I promise I WILL update it withing the week. You can hold me to that promise and send me angry emails if I dont. <strong>


	13. Fredrika's Story: Friendship by Mail

**AN: First, 101 reviews. I'm speechless. Thankyou so much to every single reader ever for making my dreams come true. I never expected to get past ten, but here I am with 101. Wow... I must be dreaming.**

**Here it is. I can't believe I actually finished it. So thats why I'm writing another chapter. I know what you're thinking, "Make up your mind, lady!" but it just doesn't feel right to not be writing this anymore. A lot of people asked for somthing where Hermione and the Five meet up again later in life, so I've decided to do a 30 year primary school reunion. I don't think I'll have it up by tuesday, (theres no way I can write it in three days...) and probably not next saturday, but I WILL put it up at some point. So keep you're alerts. **

**Anyway, there seems to a lot of confusion about Sally-Anne Perks, so I decided to just answer it once rather than ten times. I'm really sorry to those of you who were confused about why Sally-Anne went to a different school after kindergarten. Most people thought it was Hogwarts. I didn't realise how that line could be taken until I got all the reviews, so here I go with excuse making again... **

**1) Maybe she had incredible magical powers that caused the wizarding world to identify her early so as to prevent any huge catastrophy she might cause if she got angry, and they sent her to a wizarding primary school. **

**2)Perchance (I'm doing shakespeare in english class right now...) she actually did just go to a smart peoples school because your average public school wasn't challenging enough for her. **

**3) I could just change it to, "Didn't she go live with your Dad after your parents divorced in kindergarten?" That might make more sense. **

**Yeah, well sorry about that. That line was really just making an excuse for why she wasn't around in primary school. But also, lots of people asked if Patrick knew about magic. My answer to that is, he did. But he knew how much trouble he would be in if he told, so he kept it a secret. Even Pathetic Patty has that much sense. So now, it's time for reviews. **

_**Rumbleroars Army:  
><strong>_**I totally agree. It really would suck if your twin got to go and you didn't. It's almost worse than Petunia's predicament because they were just sisters. Hope you like this chapter! **

_**penguincrazy:  
><strong>_**I'm glad you like it! I hope you like this chapter too!**

_MissCHSparkles:  
><em>Whoa... long review! Yeah, I think Patrick was really mean this year because there are some things you just can't do to your sister. I also think that Sally-Anne wasn't really accepted at home and so Patrick never really talked about her. He really is like Petunia, and you really can't blame them. Who wouldn't be jealous if their sister got to go learn magic in a castle and you had to stay in the muggle world? Both of them should get over it and stop letting the jealousy eat them though. I also took your advice. I said it above, but I'm working on chapter 14, which will be The 30 Year Reunion of Ramsgate Primary School. I'll see how fast I can write it without it being crap... I hope you like this chapter!

**jer_emiah123:  
><em>Once again, thanks! ;) **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**Ha, thanks so much! I was going for it to be unexpected, and I'm really glad you think it was clever. (love that word) Anyway, the answers to your other questions are at the begining of this AN. I feel bad for Patty too. Somtimes magic is so unfair. It picks favorites and causes more trouble than it prevents. (well, not really because it makes life really easy until some idiot *cough Voldemort cough* decides to start killing alot of people for no good reason.) I hope you like this chapter! Its really just an overview of the whole story from Freddis POV and then a little bit after. **

_**Me:  
><strong>_**Wow. Deep philosophical comments. Ha, thanks! I'm so glad you think it's good! It was not the last chapter, hence I am posting this one, and I love a very musical. That is indeed where I got it. Pigfarts... lol. **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**Thanks! Hermione has officially gotten her revenge, the little devil. Ha, like this side of her! ;) It's pretty much my mission in life to prove that kids can do anything. I really think we see the world differently from adults. I'm sure your a good writer. If you can spell a few words, (which you can because you've reviewed a bunch of times,) any story is beautiful. Writing is just amazing like that. **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**I'm glad it suprised you. Your guess about Patty being a squib was the closest to the real ending. The answer to your other question is above. I'm glad you like my choice of Sally-Anne because I wasn't sure who to use. I stumbled upon some fanfiction about her one day, and after realizing that she was never mentioned again in the books, I decided that she would be great for a suprising plot twist...so I made one up. I honestly feel kind of bad for alot of the characters in the books. JKR made a whole world of people, and half of them are only made to be mentioned once. They deserve more page time than that. Feeling bad for fictional characters, one of the first signs of insanity. JKR's writing can do that to you... Hope you like this chapter! **

_**Midnightstar-and-Echosong:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! One of my main goals in writing that chapter was to get people to hate Patty at least a little bit less. He's a horrible person, but he's just a really hurt little boy on the inside. I hope you like this chapter! **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**I'm really glad you found this story too. Reading your reviews twice a week has been really great. Like I said, I'm working on a chapter 14, but I'm not sure when it will come out because I don't think I can write it in a week. This chapter took me 2... But after this story, I have some one-shots about Petunia's jealousy of Lily that are finished already, and I'm curently revising a story I wrote a long time ago from Petunia's POV about Lily getting into Hogwarts. Its about 30 pages, but I'm adding alot more. The answers to you other questions are above. I hope you like this chapter! **

**Now, on with the show... **

* * *

><p>There are some things you can only wonder, even about your best friend.<p>

Of course, I speak for myself. I don't know who you are, reading this, and maybe you know absolutely everything there is to know and more about your honorary sibling. But me? I ended up with Hermione Granger.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! She's probably the smartest person you'll ever meet! And there's a nice, funny, feisty side to her too, if you dig down deep enough. She's just so—so mysterious. Maybe some of you went to Ramsgate with us, and you'll know exactly what I mean, but for the rest of you, I should probably start at the beginning.

Ever since we met, hiding in the same closet from Patrick Perks, Hermione and me, we've been best friends. Or that's what I've always thought. She was such a quiet girl, always reading a book. Even when I came rushing over to her with the juicy gossip of the day, she'd just say, "Hm. That's interesting." And then she'd go back to her reading.

But the two of us only had each other, so there was no question we weren't friends. Our personalities completed each other. She made sure I did my homework and when I could pry the book out of her hands, I made sure she was still connected to the real world.

The main difference between us was that I actually tried to go out and gain popularity, while she seemed perfectly happy to be all alone. I felt so bad for her that I dragged her along, and pretty soon, she would sit in the school yard with me and some other girls before school started. Of course, she didn't listen to the conversation, as her nose was always in a book.

Then, one day in fifth year, when I was ten and she was eleven, she seemed to spend even more time at home than usual. Finally I asked her why.

"Fredrika! How thick are you? We have exactly nine months to get into a good school for next year, or else you'll be stuck with the five forever!"

It wasn't like her, but I detected a panicky note in her voice. Maybe the regular torment sessions from the popular kids, dubbed the "fantastic five" bothered her more than she let on.

Well, I had to admit, I wanted to leave Ramsgate as soon as I could too. I didn't care where I ended up, as long as I would be away from Patrick Perks and his trusty side kick, Carver Lewis. So for once, I stayed cooped up with Hermione and prepared in every way possible.

I can still remember the day we carpooled into London to take the entrance exam for the school we both hoped to get into. City of London, School for Girls. A fresh start at an amazing place. I'd never been so nervous in my life!

Finally, a few months later, I got a letter in the mail, which was, no doubt, my results. The first thing I did was call Hermione, who was also hyperventilating. We agreed to meet at the usual bench in the park, and open them together.

Finally, we both tore open the thick manila envelopes at the same time. Immediately we both screamed in happiness. Both of us had been accepted! We hugged and danced around, crying happy tears. We earned many funny looks, but it was so worth it. I actually couldn't wait for school to start. A fresh start for us together. Maybe we would finally have some more friends!

Though the news made us happy, it seemed to anger our arch-enemies. They were worse than ever to us, and when school finally ended, Hermione and me had reached an all time communication low. When she said goodbye to me on the last day of school, it sounded so final that I knew it would be useless to call her at all over the summer. I doubted we would talk once until the next September.

So you can probably imagine my surprise when I picked up the phone one day and heard her voice on the line. I tried to hide my shock so as not to insult her, but it was very hard considering what she was telling me. Very bluntly, she announced that she had received an acceptance letter to a boarding school out of the blue, and when the headmaster had come, _in person_, to convince her to enroll; she had decided to just abandon me!

"They only accept twenty people a year without family connections!" she told me, so obviously, this school called "Hogwarts" was extremely prestigious.

I could hear excitement in her voice which she was obviously trying to suppress, even more so than when she announced to the few other people she talked to that she had gotten into City.

Now I was suppressing something too. I was extremely hurt. I knew I should have been happy for her, but it was hard. I had spent the last month daydreaming about how much fun we would have together with our fresh start. And now, all those dreams seemed to vanish with a painful _pop._

So I did the only thing I could really do. I asked her if I could gossip about her acceptance, and then asked if she would be home for Christmas.

"I think so." She said. And that was the last time I heard anything from her until she called over the Holiday.

But I'm skipping over my first three months at City. They were good, I guess. I didn't make an incredible amount of friends, there was this one girl, Charlotte, who was probably the person I talked to the most, but she was almost as quiet as Hermione and when she walked in the room, I never got that happy best-friend-feeling I got when I saw Herms. The facilities were nice, and I was definitely happier, as no one went out of their way to bully me. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing a big chunk of myself.

So anyway, when Hermione called on Christmas Eve, I had been expecting a call for a while. When I heard her voice, it was like I had just swallowed the biggest bowl of the best chicken soup, and the feeling was just coming back to my insides You might think this was a bit dramatic, but I guess I hadn't really realized how much I missed her until then. I was about to start gushing to her about everything that had happened, but then I realized that she should probably already know.

In fact, I realized, she didn't know anything about my life, and I didn't know anything about hers. We hadn't communicated at all! We were best friends! Nothing was making any sense. It was like she was trying out different brands of cereal. She had used me, but just until she could go and find a better kind. Or, that's what I assumed. If she hadn't bothered to contact me at all, then she obviously had someone else to talk to. As quiet as she was, even she couldn't go for three months in solitary confinement.

She didn't seem to realize anything was wrong. She was acting all cheerful, and she actually asked if I wanted to hang out. The Hermione I knew would have preferred staying home with a book to anything else. Her new friends much have really changed her. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to see her anymore, but I knew deep down that I was more hurt than angry, and I was curious too. I agreed to meet her in the park, as usual.

As I pulled on my outfit, I wondered about Hermione and her new friends and her new school. Was it nice? Did she like it? Who were her friends? Did she have a crush on anyone? But most of all, did she even want to be friends anymore? I really wasn't sure if I wanted to find out.

When she showed up the park, she was dressed nicely. Another clear difference from last time I saw her. Hermione always dressed in nice clothes, (her parents were dentists and I highly suspected they didn't have any trouble with money) but she always looked rather disheveled, like she really didn't even know what she was wearing. This always amazed me, because I knew that if I opened my closet and saw racks of various designer clothes, I would probably faint.

She walked up, calling to me, still all cheerful, but I was acting subdued. I knew it was either a choice between no emotion, or plenty of emotion nobody wanted to see. I must have not been doing a very good job though, because after once look at my face, she sighed and sat down next to me.

She started telling me about how her school was great, and how she had friends now, like I suspected. When I asked her their names, rather dully, she told me they were boys. Boys? I perked up a bit at this.

But she kept me on topic, and told me how her school was her favorite place in the whole wide world. The way she was talking, it sounded like she knew the general idea of what was wrong, so I started talking. I reminded her of all my favorite memories of us together, then asked her if she had just forgotten about all of that.

Then, to my surprise, she started laughing. She apologized, and told me about how she wasn't allowed to send letters from school to people outside her family. This didn't make very much sense. A school couldn't control who you talked to, and, as she had never been a very good liar, I could tell this was not the whole truth. However, her face was set in a way that told me this was the most I would get, so I forgave her. Plus, she had promised to sneak me one. Hermione breaking the rules? I was liking this version of her.

After that, she really started talking. She must have told me every detail I could know without actually going there, but it felt like she was holding something big back. I couldn't imagine what else there was to tell, so I let it slide as a figment of my imagination. Then, she went on to tell me all about her friends. It turned out that they had really amazing stories, Harry in particular. He had survived attempted murder when he was only a baby!

We talked for so long that we ran out of time, a first for Hermione. Just as we were about to go though, we spotted the five glaring at us. We walked away quickly, and then it was my turn to tell a story. When I went home that day, I was considerably happier than I had been all year.

When I went back to City for the second term, I was more outgoing, and I made a lot of new friends. I stopped my nervous eating habit, and I started to slowly lose weight. I swapped my thick glasses for contacts. Now, when I looked in the mirror, I was starting to see the beautiful blonde girl I had always hoped was inside me.

The first letter came during the Easter holiday. Hermione was solving a mystery! I was a bit skeptical at first. Mysteries only happen in novels, but when I thought about it, being a detective like that with my friends would be really fun. After I replied to that letter through her parents, the letters started coming more regularly. It was almost like she was back in town. If I sent her a letter about a problem I had, it would come back the next day with advice. I had no idea how the mail went that fast. We kept up a regular correspondence.

At school even, I was talking about Hermione. All my friends knew who she was, and they knew the latest thing she had written, unless she had explicitly told me not to tell anyone. I was so looking forward to the summer, when she would be home and we could have a whole six weeks together, but then, my Dad came home with some news.

His job had been moved to Germany. This wasn't a problem for him, as he and my Mom were originally from there, and spoke German fluently, but the language had always been hard for me. They had decided that he would go live in Germany while my mom and I stayed in England. Once I learned enough German to get along, we would move there too, but in the meantime, we would spend our vacations there.

I was obviously distraught. I would most likely never see Hermione again! We would always just miss each other. I ran to my room and wrote her a letter. When she replied the next day, she was just as sad as I was.

Finally, the end of school arrived. I was excited, no doubt, but I was sad because I wouldn't be able to see my best friend. I went into town at sat on our favorite park bench by myself, feeling more lonely than ever.

A group of girls I recognized as the semi-pops from school. Emily Shedd was in the middle of course. They were whispering about something, and when I caught the word, 'Granger', I listened more closely.

A rumor! Completely untrue gossip is what they were discussing! Apparently Haden had told Emily that Hermione's school was a mental institute! There was absolutely no way in hell! (excuse my language.) They were also talking about how The Five had plans to do some really nasty stuff to her over the summer. I got up and ran home. I had to warn her.

She wrote back, but she didn't seem very worried at all. She told me that it was probably nothing, and that they couldn't do anything to her she wouldn't be able to handle. Obviously, she was very confident at her school, because the Hermione from last year would have been shaking in her boots.

It did seem, however, that some of her old self was still in her. I got a call from her over the summer, and she seemed to be a lot less confident at home. She was wondering what exactly was going on, because she had been in town and everyone was staring at her. She asked, so I was finally forced to tell her all the details. She didn't react well, and I wished I never had. Suddenly, Hermione started spluttering. She quickly told me she had to go, then hung up without waiting for me to say goodbye.

I put the phone back down in its cradle. I knew Hermione well enough to know that she had just thought of something, most likely a plan. However, she didn't feel like telling me what that plan was, so I would just have to wait. Within the month, I would either get a jubilant letter telling me of her success, or I would get a phone call and Hermione would sob to me about all her troubles. I was hoping for the first option.

And for once in my life, something I wanted to happen happened. Just a few weeks later, I got a letter where she described her brilliant plan in which she had convinced Harry and Ron to come visit her, and then they had confronted our mortal enemies! This girl had nerve! Even when I thought about her, I would think about her as the old and new Hermione because she had changed so much it was like she was a different person.

Finally, school started again. I was so happy to be back home. It really seemed that I just couldn't learn German! I still had to make embarrassing motions to find the bathroom. But even better, I could hear all the local gossip again.

It seemed that after Hermione's Confrontation, (the name in which that event would go down in history as) the five had just simply fallen apart. Patrick, apparently had yelled at Brittany, who was now not speaking to him, ( out of hurt or anger no one could tell) and only Haden would talk to her now. Patrick had retaliated by not speaking to either of them, and Carver, as his faithful sidekick, stayed with him. Eliza was often seen going between the two small groups, trying to get them to make peace and wailing about the "old days when we were cool." Now that the Fantastic Five had met its demise, everyone worshipped the people who used to be the semi-populars. The un-populars had been promoted to semi-populars in everyone's minds, and a certain five people had taken their place. They still had their own class.

My letters with Hermione continued. We kept up a correspondence all throughout second year and third year, though her letters sounded very stressed sometimes. It seemed that trouble always seemed to find Harry, and that she and Ron were often dragged into mortal danger with him. Trust her to find the most dangerous friend she could.

In fourth year though, the letters started to come less frequently. When she did write, she said that Harry and Ron were fighting and she was forced to carry messages between them constantly, or that they had made up and that now she was helping Harry train for some strange event. It seemed that he had gotten himself in the worst trouble yet. After the end of that year, the letters almost stopped coming.

When they did, they were never more than a few lines. She was very busy, doing important work she couldn't tell me about. It was very dangerous, and she really didn't have any time left between studying for her O.W.L.s, and keeping her best friends from doing something really stupid.

For the first time ever, I wasn't looking forward to her letters. I never learned anything from them, and they always made me feel so—so small—so insignificant. Hermione was out there, helping the world, probably, and here I was, still trying to learn how to order a burger in German. And the worst part was, it seemed like she didn't even have any time for me anymore.

Even in the last few years, when she was doing whatever it was, I could always count on a daily letter from her. Helpful letters too, with news I could look forward to. But now it seemed that whatever she was doing had gotten too big for her old best friend to count for anything anymore.

I knew I shouldn't be sad about that, I mean—I hadn't even seen her for about four years! I tried to move on with my life, but I was always a little sad, or subdued. Harry and Ron had officially taken over.

The letters somehow managed to come even less in sixth year, and though they were never more than one line, she managed to convey major panic with every one. At the end of the year, she sent me one last letter.

_Freddi—_

_Things are getting really bad. The headmaster has just been murdered and I have to go into hiding with Harry and Ron. Dumbledore left a huge task that we have to do in secret, and I can't tell anybody not even you. Everyone is very worried about us, and for good reason. There's a good chance we won't get out of this alive. I'll be home in a few days to tell my parents about this, and please don't be mad, but I have to leave immediately afterward. It's not safe for me or my parents here. I won't be able to mail you anymore, as it might give away our location. Well, wish me luck! If I don't make it out, just know that you'll always be my friend. _

_Hermione_

If your best friend sends you that letter and it doesn't freak you out, I don't know what will. Hermione had just told me in a letter longer than usual, that she most likely wouldn't live past this year. I would never know how she was so accepting of the fact. Maybe whatever she was out fighting for really was incredibly important.

Though I knew Hermione just wanted to warn me in case I never heard from her again, all she had done was freak me out. Sure, I had friends at City, but none of them could ever replace my first ever friend.

Tension. All I need is that one world to describe the next year. I was so tense with worry, that I almost failed my final year of school. All I could think about even when I was taking what might have been the most important math final of my life, all I could think about was where Hermione was right then, and what she was doing. The only way I finished was knowing how disappointed she would have been if I failed a test because of her.

January.

February.

March.

Still no word from my best friend.

April.

May.

I was starting to become beyond nervous. It was approaching a year since I had last had any contact with her. What if she really was dead? What if no one ever found out for sure and I had to wonder for the rest of my life? My new favorite afternoon activity was crying in my room. I almost completely stopped eating. My friends though I had taken an oath of silence.

June—no—joy!

The happiest day of my life. June first to be exact. I remember it exactly, like it was yesterday.

The doorbell rang. I was in my room, having one of my daily cries. I figured it was probably just the postman. None of my friends ever stopped by anymore. Knowing that postman always left the mail on the porch and walked away, I opened the door, not bothering to take care of my red eyes. I looked down to see how much mail we had, but I didn't see any envelopes.

Feet. Legs. Arms. Bushy hair.

HERMIONE!

My senses completely shut down. One of the things I'll never understand about my brain is why it never lets me accept something that seems too good to be true.

She smiled at me. I blinked. Hermione?

"Hermione?"

She nodded.

I fainted.

I woke up a little while later on my living room couch, a buck tooth bushy haired face staring down at me—wait. Where were her trademark buck teeth?

"What happened to your teeth?" I whispered.

She laughed. "I show up after a year long absence and you ask about my teeth?"

Then it dawned on me. "Hermione!" I screeched. I threw my arms around her shoulders and squeezed her tight, the bushy brown curls covering my face.

"Fredrika!" She laughed back.

"I thought you were dead!" I told her, pulling away.

"Sometimes, I thought I was too." She replied cryptically.

"But seriously, what happened to your teeth?"

She laughed again. "I guess I just grew into them. But guess what?"

"What?"

"My troubles are over!"

"Huh?"

"Harry ended it all! He set it all right about a week ago!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. She had never told me what exactly her problem was, and something about her face told me I never would.

"Oh, that's great!" I said, because at least it was over, even if I didn't know what it was.

"And there's something better."

I laughed at the ecstatic expression on her face. "And what could that be?"

"I'm dating Ron!"

I remembered back to the last time I had seen her. Christmas eve six years ago. She had told me very briefly that she liked Ron. I guess that still stood.

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful, Hermione!"

After that, we talked for hours. We talked about her first kiss with him, my school, what she was going to do now, everything you could think of. When my mom got home, she greeted her just as excitedly. She had guessed that Hermione was in trouble from the way I had been acting.

I was sad when she had to leave, but I reminded myself that our lives were no longer intertwined, and she had to get back to hers. She promised that we could still exchange letters.

We exchanged letters for about a year, until she sent me an incomprehensible letter telling me that Ron had proposed. I received a wedding invitation just a few weeks later inviting me to be the maid of honor.

She let me pick out the dress. I wanted to wear a tight sparkly gold dress, but decided not to since it was Hermione's day. Instead, I wore a blue floor-length dress made of draping fabric. I did my hear into an elegant knot on the back of my head with two curly strands hanging down by my ears, I put on lots of black mascara and just enough black eye shadow to make me look elegant, not gothic. Following Hermione's favorite tradition of British weddings, I bought myself a rather whimsical hat.

Hermione looked stunning in her simple yet elegant dress, made of form fitting white fabric with a simple skirt and no sleeves, and Ron looked devilishly handsome as well in a plain black tuxedo. As I stood there watching Hermione look so lovingly at Ron, I decided I really needed a boyfriend. I was also very surprised that Harry was Ron's best man, remembering that he had plently of brothers to choose from.

During dinner it was time for Harry's speech. After a pat on the shoulder from a red-head girl who had been one of the other bridesmaids, he tapped his glass and stood up.

"So, uh, can someone remind me who's wedding this is?" He asked. Several people laughed. He turned to look at Ron sitting next to Hermione and feigned shock. "Ron? You're sitting next to Hermione in a wedding dress. That means… Hey! She finally fell for you! Congratulations, mate!" Everyone laughed. He was really quite funny. Then he turned to face everyone else.

"You have no idea how long I had to listen to this git complaining about girls. 'Oh, these girls, they're going to kill me!' 'Guess how many girls I snogged today, Harry?" He did an imitation of a low, stupid voice. "However, I have to be nice to this idiot because I'm dating his sister." He looked fondly down at the red haired girl while everyone laughed.

A stocky man with red hair stood up, and I could guess that he was a brother. "Damn right you do! She's my sister too!" He rhymed.

"It's me their laughing at, so shut up you prat." Harry retorted smoothly.

"Alright, fine. But you took my line."

"It's not your line! I made it up! It's mine!" By this time most people were in hysterics.

"Hey, it rhymed. But look at the time! You better start your speech before Hermione turns you into a peach!"

Hermione faked a dangerous glare at him.

He gulped. "Right. I'll be sitting now. Wouldn't want the bride to have a cow." He sat down, allowing Harry to stop with the rhyming.

"The day George Weasley gets married will be a sad day indeed." He muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Anyway, ever since the fateful day we met in first year, I've been able to call this big idiot my best mate. We have so many fond memories together, even before we met Hermione. Now that I'm thinking about it, we weren't very fond of her, were we Ron?"

He shook his head. "That bossy know-it-all thought she could do everything better than I could."

Even Hermione laughed at this.

"That's quite an accurate description, Ron. But I can say that I've never been so glad I saved anyone's life. Funny the things that have to happen before you'll ever talk to your future wife. And you know, it seems that both of you owe me your lives many times over. Just remember that when Ginny gets angry." Even Ginny, the red-head girl laughed.

"Hey! You owe us your life too!" Hermione contradicted.

"I choose to overlook that." Harry responded. There was a collective laugh from the wedding party.

"Well, this toast is getting rather long now, so I just have a few comments left. No family has ever been nicer to me that the Weasleys. They treated me like another one of their numerous sons or brothers from the moment I met them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were the parents I never had. I've never met someone smarter than Hermione Granger. She is the only reason me and Ron didn't flunk out of school.

"And I've never gotten into more trouble with any two people than I have with these two sitting in front of us all right now. I wish you both the happiest life, and may it never be boring." He raised his glass, and we all drank. Now it was my turn for a toast. How was I going to follow that?

I stood up. "I'd just like to let everyone know I have nothing prepared." Was the first think I spit out. "I'm obviously not as funny as Harry is, but I'll do what I can.

"I've never been prouder of knowing any girl than Hermione Granger. My first friend, and my best friend, it seems I have something in common with those boys sitting next to her, because I couldn't have even passed year 2 without her. When she left to go off to school, I was devastated. I didn't go a day without writing to her. And then, for most of seventh year I thought she was dead. It was horrible, and I've never been so glad to be wrong.

"But now, here's my best friend, sitting here looking absolutely beautiful in her white dress. I don't know if she still considers me her best friend, but I know I always will. The only other thing I can think to say is that I _really_ need a boyfriend. So, to you, Hermione, I wish you and Ron the best life ever, and may we always continue our friendship by mail."

And so we did. Friendship by mail for five years, ten years, fifteen years, almost twenty years to this day. Nineteen to be exact. I can easily remember the day I got almost unreadable emails, (we switched) announcing the birth of Rose Weasley, then Hugo. Just a few days ago, I got a sad letter from her telling me about how little Rosie was off at that school now, gone for almost the whole year. At least she still had Hugo for another 2 years. Being married and a mother myself now, I can completely understand her pain.

I can't believe that we are both 38 years old now. In two years, we will be forty! I still live in the same town we grew up in, and I've heard a rumor that the Ramsgate Primary school is planning a thirty year reunion in 2 years.

If they did, that would be great. An excuse for Hermione to come visit, and maybe she could bring Ron! They could stay at our house!

But that's two years from now. Until they, we will, like always, continue our friendship by mail.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So? What did you think? I apreciate feedback on everything! Reviews make my day! I love you all for reading! <strong>

**~Lulu **


	14. Best Friends Forever

**AN: I'm SO SO SORRY this has taken so long. The only reason I got the last chapter up on time was because I had been writing it for a while at that point. I only started writing this the day after I posted the last chapter, and you can probably tell now that I'm horrible at writing on a deadline... :/ Anyway, my writing really depends on my mood, and if I don't feel like writing a particular story, I just can't. I have to write what I feel like writing or else it turns out all crappy and no one wants to read somthing like that. **

**So after a month of trying to write through writers block, I finally had inspiration and wrote the majority of this story in two days. This story is 27 pages long, and about 12,000 words, making it the longest chapter by far. I hope thats worth the wait... I'm not even sticking to the update schedule because I think you've waited long enough. **

**So, now I have reviews to respond to: **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad you liked it! Maybe you and your bestie will meet again some day...? That would be sweet! Here's your chapter! I hope you like it! **

_**Midnightstar-and-Echosong:  
><strong>_**It was slightlly sad, but I'm so glad you liked it! The reality for Fredrika is that Hermione had moved on, but Hermione will always be Fredrika's best friend. Fredrika is one of Hermione's best friends, but you'll see in this chapter that she sometimes feels like she has to compete with Harry and Ron. Hope you like it! **

_**kyler1991:  
><strong>_**Aw! Thanks so much! I've been looking for a long time about things from Hermione's past, but it seems that there really is none! If I ever meet JKR, I plan to ask her about it, but I probably won't. I could write her a letter though, even if the chances that she'll reply aren't very good... Anyway, Hermione didn't wipe Fredrika's memories because nobody really knew about her (except for muggles, but Voldemort wouldn't care enough about them to think they could have any useful info) until the wedding. Also, if she wiped Fredrika's memories, people would have noticed, so she would have had to obliviate Fredrika's parents, all her friends, everyone at school, and still other people who she might have met breifly, which is way too much work! So heres the reunion chapter, I hope you like it! **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you like it! I spent about four days on the wedding, even though it was short because I wanted to get the toasts just right. It means alot to me that you thought they were funny. That is really cool also about the cats. I always thought that if I got a dog, (I'm allergic to cats) I would name it Dumbledore. No idea why, just thought it would be cool. I currently have a guinea pig, but its called Leona. Hope you like this chapter, if you're still reading! **

_**MissDracoMalfoy1998:  
><strong>_**I'm so happy you liked it, but it's not over! This actually is the last chapter though, I promise. It's getting so hard to write this story so I'm obviously pushing the limits. I hope you're still reading, and if you are, I hope you like it! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! I'm so glad that you've liked this whole story all the way to the end! Hermione and Fredrika will always be friends, even if they have fights... Hermione chose her to be a maid of honor because she's her really great friend, but also shes the only girl shes good friends with, apart from ginny. I'm really glad you liked the toasts because I spent a long time on them. I wanted them to be really good because for some reason they felt like the most important part of the chapter. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter just as much. **

_**jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! I really appreciate all your reviews! Their short, but sweet. **

_**JenJens:  
><strong>_**Wow! That was so nice! Thanks so much! That really made me feel really good. The answer to your question: Yes, I think the wedding was completley non-magical because Hermione did have a couple of muggles there. (I can see Mr. Weasley enjoying it alot to though... ) They probably had a muggle reception, but also another reception for the wizards only so they could do some of those wizard traditions they did at Bill and Fleur's wedding. I hope this one is just as good! I'm so sad it's over too. **

_**Zapz:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much for all the compliments! Here's my last chapter! I hope you like it! **

_**Me:  
><strong>_**Thanks so much! When I set out to write that chapter, I didn't think it would be very good, but here you are, telling me it was the best one yet! That makes me so happy! I hope you like this chapter too! I'm so sad it's all over!**

_**Ellie:  
><strong>_**Well. Hi there Ellie. I'm so glad you liked it! Here's the next chapter! Sputty luvs ya! Lol **

_**b00k-girl1:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad you liked it! It's not a sequel, but here's the reunion! I hope you like it! **

**So now I'm just going to set the scene a little bit for this story. It's thirty years after Hermione left primary school. Rosie just finished her third year at Hogwarts, and Hugo's finished his first. Fredrika is married and had two kids: a girl Rosie's age named Olivia, and a boy Hugo's age named Asher. Hermione is going back to her old town to stay with her parents and go to the reunion, where she meets some old enemies... Enjoy! **

*****Also, I've uped the rating for this story because Hermione swears once in this chaper. **

* * *

><p>I pulled up to my childhood home in my mini-van. Whenever Ron and I went anywhere, I always insisted on driving because I really didn't trust that pure-blood behind the wheel of a deadly Muggle contraption, especially with the kids in the back.<p>

Ha, the kids. They were so used to apparating everywhere that a short one-hour car ride was torture for them, even if they did find cars fascinating.

"This is taking _forever!_"

"Why couldn't we at least go by broom?"

"I hate living like a Muggle!"

By the end of the trip, my precious 11-year old son and 13-year old daughter were driving me crazy. It was a real relief when the familiar light blue paint of my old home came into view.

The kids hopped out of the car like the seats were burning their pants off. They sprinted eagerly up to the door and fought over ringing the doorbell, one of their favorite Muggle inventions. Luckily, my mom and dad heard the commotion and came out before their little squabble escalated into something more.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" They squealed. I laughed. Both of my children had been acting so grown up lately. That façade vanished as soon as my parents came into view. Being muggles, we didn't see them very often.

"Rosie! Hugo!" They didn't even need to bend down to hug them anymore. "How have you been?"

"We're great, Grandma." Rosie said.

"And how's school going?"

Hugo answered this one. "Oh, it's amazing! I wish you could see it! There's so much food, and I hate coming home for holidays because Mommy can't cook for her life!"

"Hugo!" I laughed, emabrassed.

"Well, it's true." Ron agreed. My parents finally noticed him.

"And Ron! How are you doing?" My mom rushed over to hug him.

"Great, Cynthia!" He smiled. He wasn't very used to the love of other people's mothers, because he never needed it, like Harry or I did. (Not that I had bad parents. It was just hard because we lived in different worlds.)

"And you're doing well as a-whatsit—an Auror?"

"It's been great." He confirmed. "Though there really hasn't been much to do lately. I don't think anyone wants to try anything with Harry around…"

Dad chuckled. "That's my girl. Always choosing the friends that seem to get in the most trouble."

I laughed. "It's true." I used Ron's words.

"Anyway, why don't you start unpacking the car? Dad and I will take the kids in and get them settled." My mom said to me.

"Alright, Mom." I replied. She was probably going to rush them into the kitchen and sneak them every sort of sweet imaginable before I could catch them. I had tried to stop the unlimited spoiling, but it seemed that grandparents were just like that. Besides, the kids didn't mind, and it was only for a few days! Of course, living at Hogwarts was like being spoiled, and now that they were both there...Oh, a little pampering couldn't hurt.

I grabbed the suitcase the kids shared and Ron grabbed ours. Walking through the open front door, I could hear plastic wrappers crinkling from the kitchen. Ron, with his Auror instincts heard it too. I looked at him and rolled my eyes. We laughed quietly on our way up the stairs.

Whenever we came, I would stay in my old room and the kids got the guest bedroom. Luckily for me I had a big bed because Ron was the craziest sleeper. I would have to invest in a trundle bed soon.

I dropped the smaller suitcase in the kids room and walked back into my room where Ron was feebly trying to unpack by magic.

"And I'm the muggle-born." I muttered. I waved my wand and everything flew into the wardrobe, perfectly folded.

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Don't blame me. Those are girl spells."

I smacked him on the arm. "Sexist!" I accused.

"Ow!" He screeched. How I loved my tough, manly, Auror of a husband. I laughed at him. He good naturedly chuckled back. I put my arms around his neck and rested my forehead on his.

Then we heard footsteps on the stairs. Within a second, we had jumped apart and had our wands drawn, a habit from the old days of fighting for our lives. In those days, we would have been defending ourselves from some ruthless death-eater, but in modern times, we had almost hexed our scared looking children.

Hugo dropped the bag of gumdrops he had been holding. "What did we do?" He asked in a high voice.

"Old habits die hard." I explained to them. "You can blame your uncle Harry."

They knew the story about our heroic days, but I doubted they would ever fully understand. Even with all my reading, I had never understood the dangers of Voldemort until I was in them. They really didn't know how lucky they were to grow up without the impeding threat of death all the time.

"Well," I continued. "This looks like a good time to go visit Aunt Fredrika, before the reunion tonight." She wasn't really their aunt, of course, but we were good enough friends that we felt like family.

"Oh, Mom!" They both whined.

"Please. Asher and Olivia are plenty nice to you."

"Yeah, but they think we're weird though. You can see it on their faces." It was true. They didn't get along perfectly. Olivia was the epitome of girly, while Rosie could care less what she was wearing. She was more into things like books, quidditch, and getting good grades on her exams. They would sit and talk together, but you could tell that neither of them enjoyed it very much.

Asher and Hugo got on a little better, maybe because boys weren't as judgmental about looks. Asher really liked action figures, and Hugo, being really interested in muggle things, loved them too. However, Hugo was rather submissive, and Asher found him boring. It also seemed like Asher went out of his way to argue, and Hugo preferred to keep the peace.

"And Uncle Alf will have some muggle presents waiting for you!" I reminded them.

"Still…"

"Still what? Is it because they're muggles?"

"No!" They both shouted. Pure-blood mania was one of the most looked down upon traits now a-days. The oldest of those families were still trying to make their way back into society.

"So what is it? Why wouldn't you want to go get muggle presents?" I brought the thought of new toys up again to attempt bribery.

"Well…" Rosie amended. She was a smart girl, and I knew she could tell I was trying to bribe them. She was teetering on the edge of accepting the presents like she wanted to, or not letting me win.

"Muggle stuff _is _cool. I could bring it back to school next year! Everyone would think it was so great!" Hugo planned.

"Right. Put those sweets down and lets get going."

"Ok." Hugo was always the easiest to please. Rosie rolled her eyes but put away the candy and came along after one request.

"Please, not the car."

"But you used to think cars were so cool!"

"Yeah, on days when I haven't spent hours in one!"

"Fine, if that's what it takes." I settled. Then I remembered one last thing. "Go change into muggle clothes. What about those clothes I conjured up for you? Just try to look natural."

In one of my many strokes of brilliantness, I had come up with the idea of making Hogwarts clothing, to make the school seem more muggle around my muggle friends. It was almost a law that all schools had to sell spirit t-shirts, and since Hogwarts wasn't quite up to date in that department, I made them up.

They scurried off while me and Ron changed into jeans and t-shirts. When they came back, they were both in slightly awkward attire, though better than the average wizard would have dressed. One of the first things I had taught them as children was the art of blending in with the muggle world. However, it seemed that in order to be born into the wizarding world, you had to trade your sense of fashion for magic. They weren't perfect, but better than most wizards.

Rosie had on a safe outfit of khaki shorts and purple jacket with the Hogwarts seal on the pocket, over a plain yellow tank-top. The colors clashed, but it was good enough. Her hair that mimicked Ron's bright red color but my frizzy texture was pulled back into a ponytail. (She also had my light brown eyes.)

Hugo had my almond colored hair, it wasn't quite as puffy, but he also had Ron's blue eyes. He had on his red polo shirt with the Gryffindor seal on the pocket and a pair of synthetic light blue shorts. His favorite (and very dirty) trainers on his feet looked like they were about to fall apart. When I suggested getting him new ones or at least fixing them, he insisted that they looked cool. Whatever. Even though the combination of the preppy style of the shirt and sporty style of the shorts were slightly perplexing, he too would blend in well enough.

We walked out the door after saying a quick bye to my parents, and started the short walk to my best female friend's house. I took this opportunity to say a few quick reminders.

"Remember, they don't know about magic so just leave out everything remotely magical you want to say."

"You're insulting my intelligence, Mom." Rosie complained.

"Just making sure. You don't _want _to get expelled, do you?" She just rolled her eyes.

We walked up the front steps to Fredrika's house and I rang the doorbell to prevent another fight.

Asher answered the door. He was dressed in tan shorts, a blue shirt, and a grey jacket that had an orange stripe across the chest. His feet were bare.

"Aunt Hermione." He said, surprised.

"Hello, Asher, may we come in?" I asked kindly.

"Of course!" he replied, then turned to call over his shoulder. "Mommy! Aunt Hermione is here!"

"Oh!" I heard a surprised voice from inside the house. Soon, a rather shocked looking Fredrika came into view, wearing a light blue sweater and jeans.

"Hermione! I wasn't expecting to see you until the reunion tonight!"

I laughed. "Well, I thought we should come catch up in private before we have people we barely remember hounding us with questions all night."

"That is a good idea. Please, make yourselves comfortable." She commented, while shutting the door behind us. Then she turned to Ron. "How are you, Ron?" She asked, giving him a quick hug.

"Great, Freddi. And you?"

"Never better!" She chirped. "Oh, Rosie! Hugo! You've grown so much since I last saw you!"

"Thanks so much!" Rosie smiled.

"How are you liking school?" Fredrika asked.

"Oh, it's great!" Hugo was always shy around people, so Rosie gave a more detailed answer.

"It's really wonderful, Auntie Freddi. The food is great, I love all the classes, and I'm making friends for life!"

Fredrika smiled kindly, but there was something else behind her expression. Being a mother now, I was an expert body language reader, and I could tell she was slightly uneasy, or hurt. I knew that she always worried that Ron and Harry would completely take over and I would forget about her, so Rosie talking about friends brought bad memories to the surface.

"That's great, dear. I'm sure Olivia has just been dying to see you! It looks like Hugo and Asher have already gone off together." She turned back toward the rest of the house. "Olivia!" She called.

A girl with pale grey eyes and blond hair to match Fredrika's came out. Her hair went down to just above her waist and her bangs covered her eyebrows. It was obvious that both had been straitened. She was wearing a white tank-top with pink flowers, a white denim skirt, and light pink flats. A pair of expensive looking aviator sunglasses were perched on her head. "Yes, Mom?" She asked.

"Looks who's hear to see you!"

She looked over and saw us. Shock flitted across her face, but she quickly replaced it with her normal haughty expression. "Oh, good." She said, grabbing Rosie's wrist and pulling her away. "I was just going to go look for someone to help me pick out my dress for tonight."

Fredrika laughed and I shook my head. "Well, let's go chat"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few hours later, we were walking home because we had to get ready for the reunion soon. Talking with Fredrika and Alf had been fun. Though we kept up a constant correspondence with muggle email, there was so much you couldn't communicate without being there in person.

We were walking in silence, so I turned to Hugo. "So. What did you do with Asher today?" I asked him.

"Just the usual. We played with his muggle toys."

"That's it?"

"We talked some."

"About what?"

"Well, he was talking about his friends at school."

"Did you tell him about your friends and school?"

"I tried to. But he said he didn't care."

"Oh. That wasn't very nice of him."

"No. He said that boarding school was stupid and that the expensive private school he goes to is ten times better."

"What did you say back?"

"I told him that Hogwarts was better than he'd ever know."

I let out a sigh of relief. I had been worried that he would have slipped up in his anger and broken the stature of security.

"That was an acceptable come-back. But next time, just try not to fight at all."

"He started it!" Hugo insisted furiously.

"Yes, yes. I understand." I turned to Rosie hoping she had a better time. "Did you have fun with Olivia?"

"I guess. But all she wanted to do was decide which dress to wear tonight. Dresses, dresses, dresses!"

"That's all she talked about for three hours?"

"Well, toward the end she started talking about her friends."

"Well, it she was deciding which dress to wear, than she was probably asking for advice too."

"Sort of, but she answered all her own questions." She imitated a high, girly voice. "'Which dress should I wear tonight, Rosie? I'm really into the whole black and white thing now, so I was thinking about this one, but what do you think of this one? I know! It's so pretty, right? It's really such a hard choice, but I think I have to agree with you. Did I mention how popular I am?'" She mimicked. "She didn't even leave time for me to answer her own questions! She sort of reminds me of those people you used to tell us stories about when we were bullied in muggle primary school. Speaking of which, are we going to meet them tonight?"

Her question caught me off guard. I had no idea that they still remembered those stories about the Five I used to tell them. And I honestly hadn't considered that they might be there tonight. Would they be? What would they do if they saw me? What would I do? The bad side of me was screaming for revenge. It wanted to show off my handsome husband and beautiful, kind children. The good side of me, however, just wanted to be nice. I had already gotten enough revenge, hadn't I? Fredrika had told me that after my encounter, their friendship had completely ended and their reputation had been ruined.

"Maybe." I replied to Rosie's question meekly. We were silent for the rest of the walk home.

When we arrived back at my parents place, I shooed the kids upstairs to get ready, while I got myself a cold glass of water to calm down. Then I went upstairs. The reunion was supposed to be fancy, so I pulled on a tight lilac silk cocktail dress, and pulled my hair up into a bun. I put on a string of pearls that rested just below my collar bone, and the matching earrings. (The necklace was plastic. Rosie had made it for me in her primary school, and Ron had bought me real earrings to match.) I pulled on a pair of white high heels with matching lilac edging. I quickly did my makeup, and then walked out of the bathroom so Ron could change.

I went in to the guest room to check on the kids. Rosie had her hair down, and though it was out of control, it looked good. She had on a v-neck black t-shirt and a light pink skirt that went down to just below her knees and had darker pink circles patterning it.

"Wasn't Olivia wearing those today?" I asked about her pink flats.

"Yeah, she was. But when she asked what I was wearing tonight, and I told her that I only had the flip-flops I was wearing, she freaked out and told me that I needed to borrow them or she would die."

"Sounds like her." I agreed. Then I turned to Hugo. He was wearing a slightly awkward light blue dress shirt that matched his eyes, with vertical darker blue stripes. It looked like something strait out of the 70s. We had been in a muggle shop one day and he insisted that he needed it. His pants were black, from a complete suit he had at home, and he was also wearing his black dress shoes.

Then Ron came in. He had on a simple outfit of a white dress shirt, khaki pants, and brown dress shoes. His hair was attractively messy, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. I suspected that he had never gotten over his childhood of too small clothing. He wore almost everything rolled up, used to hiding too short sleeves, despite the fact that is clothes fit him fine now.

"Well? Are you ready to go?" I asked.

Everyone groaned. "It's going to be all adults!" Hugo complained.

"Do you really expect me to make small talk? What am I supposed to say when they ask me what my job is? 'Yeah, I fight dark wizards for a living!' They'll think I'm crazy!"

"Hugo, Asher and Olivia will be there, and Ron, you told Freddi and Alf you were an accountant after your minor league soccer career. Stick with that story. And Rosie, don't be anti-social. I expect you to be polite, and talk with other adults as well as Olivia. But make sure you're careful about magic. That goes for all of you." I finished with a piercing look, daring any of them to try something. "Now. Let's go."

We all traipsed out of the house. I had trouble walking on my two inch heels because I was so used to wearing practical flat shoes for my job in the ministry. When we merged onto the main road at the corners of Cross and Clifford, it brought back many memories of years spent walking to and from school with Fredrika. Ironically enough, there she was, with her family, walking to Ramsgate Primary School as well.

What stood out the most about her family was Olivia, in her dress of random black and white patches. It was sleeveless, with a neckline plunging to the bottom of her ribs. It looked like Fredrika had insisted that she wear a black tank-top under it though, and for good reason. The waist was tight, but then it flowed into skirt that went halfway down her thighs, revealing her thin legs, until they were covered by her red suede boots. Her blond hair was up in an elegant roll, and her bangs were curled as well, revealing her forehead. Her grey eyes that matched Fredrika's were surrounded by white eye shadow, and she had on a ton of mascara.

Fredrika had on a short green and black striped dress. (That was obviously her favorite color combination, though blue looked best on her.) She had on mid-calf black boots, and there was a thick leather belt around her waist. The grey eye shadow and black eye liner routine she had adopted at some point between Christmas of first year and after the final battle of seventh year was still going strong, and she was still proud of her thin legs.

Alf (whose real name was Alfonso) had on an outfit almost identical to Ron's accept he wore a blue sports coat on over his shirt. He was robust Italian man, full of laughter and his love for food, the single button keeping his jacket closed looked like it wouldn't hold up much longer. Asher, who was staring at Hugo's shirt with a mixture of curiosity and disgust, (I was starting to wonder how exactly Freddi had raised her children) looked like a skinnier, younger copy of his father, with his brown hair and warm brown eyes, was wearing almost the same outfit, except that his blue blazer had a fancy looking coat of arms on the pocket, and I suspected that he was taking the opportunity to show off the fact that he went to an expensive private school. Olivia went there too, but she never walked around bragging about it to everyone she saw. I wondered what made Asher like that.

We walked up to their clan and greeted them like it had been a year rather than an hour since we had seen them. As we started walking again, I let Ron go ahead with the kids, while I hung back with Fredrika.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked.

"As I'll ever been." She replied meekly, just as we turned the corner. Suddenly, our school was right in front of us, the big words "Ramsgate Primary School" were carved into the stone above the door, just as they had been 30 years ago. In fact, it seemed like the only thing that had changed about the place was the new playground equipment. Ron, Al, and the children were standing at the front steps, waiting for us, unsure of what to do. Bravely, (I was a Gryffindor after all,) I led them up the stairs, to the woman who was checking everyone in.

"Names?" She asked, trying to sound cheerful. She was flipping through the papers on her clipboard and hadn't looked up, but she didn't need to for me to recognize her.

Her flowerpot skin was just as smooth and unblemished as ever, but, guiltily, I was a little pleased to see that she had put on some weight. She wasn't fat, but she didn't have the supermodel body anymore. Her dark chocolate hair was cut short, another surprise. It was still as sleek and shiny as ever, but it curved inward slightly, forming a round shape from the top of her head to just above her chin.

It was apparent that she was still into long dresses, as this one fell down to the ground, hiding her shoes, though as she shifted her weight, I could see that she was wearing bright white pumps, that matched the few veins of white in her sea green dress, swirled with blue.

"Hermione Weasley and Fredrika Spätzünder." Spätzünder was Fredrika's last name. Even though Alf's last name was Fabiano, she had chosen to keep hers. **(AN: It actually means something if anyone wants to translate it. I picked it for a reason.) **

Haden stiffened for a moment, then looked up, a look of shock on her face. She was still almost exactly the same, but I was slightly glad, because it would feel too weird if she had changed too much.

She quickly replaced her shock with a stiff smile. "Fredrika! Hermione! Oh, it's been so long! How have you been?"

"Great, Haden!" I replied. I had once been afraid to even say her name, but now all the nerves I had had a second before had vanished. My bad side was taking over. Realizing I wouldn't be able to stop it,  
>I compromised with myself. I wouldn't brag too much. After all, revenge number two would be better if they couldn't find anything about me to hate.<p>

"So, I just need to know who your guests are before you can go in. I need to sign them in."

Fredrika answered first. It seemed that she, too felt the urge to show off. "This is my husband, Alfonso Fabiano, and my children, Olivia and Asher Fabiano."

"Wonderful!" Haden acted her part. "It's so nice to see that you have a family."

Even though she hadn't said the words, I could hear them. _I thought you never would. _My vision was tinted red. Nobody insulted my best girl friend. I felt the need to hurt her back.

"Are you married, Haden?" I asked coldly.

Haden's face turned icy. "No." She stated. "But my boyfriend is inside."

"Oh." I replied. "Well, this is _my _husband, Ronald Weasley, and my children, Rose and Hugo Weasley."

A look of comprehension crossed her face as she remembered the day 29 years ago when she had first met Ron. "Fantastic." She said blandly as she checked off a few boxes on her sign in sheet. "You may go in now." She said, making it sound more like a command than an option.

"I'll see you later." I told her.

She nodded slightly to confirm that she'd heard me, then put on a smile to check in the next person, who might have been Edwin Jones. Ron put his hand on the small of my back and we continued on inside."

The reception hall in the school where the reunion was held was only medium sized, and there was a surprising amount of people inside. I didn't remember my year being very big, and I hadn't expected many people to show up. Not surprisingly, the four children ran off to the table holding some pre-dinner appetizers, were there were a few other children, leaving the adults alone.

"So… What should we do?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Lets just walk." Alf suggested. "That way you'll see more people and we can talk to everyone." That was so like Alf. He was, I supposed, a social butterfly, though a slightly overweight one. It was just his personality to try to talk to as many people as possible in a limited amount of time.

So we did. I held Ron's hand as we walked, not really listening to the conversation. This floating around strategy meant that sooner or later, we would meet the rest of the five. _One down, four to go, _I thought. Would they want to talk to me? Would they be just plain mean? Or would they have changed?

But it didn't matter. I was here for me, and I was past the point in my life where other people could see me as an easy target. Who knew that just coming home could rob you of all your Gryffindor courage. But once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor. I put on a brave face and walked on.

We walked and talked for another 10 or so minutes, greeting people I barely remembered in between Alf telling a funny story about his early days as a chef.

Suddenly, the hall went quiet, and our little group cut our laughter quickly. The doors had flown open. That wouldn't have been a big deal, a few late stragglers were still coming, but it was who walked in that caused a stir.

A red-head who could only be Eliza Rees walked in, arm in arm with a stocky, black-haired boy who could only be an older Carver Lewis, wearing a hideous orange suit. I had high suspicions that Eliza had forced him into it. Eliza had on the strangest combination of what looked like an orange sports bra and a long orange skirt that showed off her orange and green plaid shoes. Her bright red hair, which I now realized almost exactly matched Ron's (though it looked better on Ron) had been grown out so that it reached her shoulders and her bright blue eyes were visible from underneath the liberal amount of black eye makeup she wore. Faster than I could think, she threw her arms around Carver's neck and they kissed a bit too passionately for company. But Eliza didn't mind staring eyes. In fact, she thrived on them.

They broke apart and walked further into the room as if nothing had happened. Everyone else went back to chatting, but I was still staring, open mouthed.

Of course, Eliza had to see me. Her eyes narrowed and she grabbed Carver's hand, pulling him along as she made a beeline for us. Ron, with his Auror eyes spotted the movement.

"Is that—"

"Yes. It's her." I confirmed. I straightened up, making myself look more dignified, but my hand betrayed me. It was clutching at Ron's a bit too tightly for normal circumstances. I nudged Fredrika who had gone back to the previous conversation with Alf, and tilted my head toward the angry looking woman marching over to us. Ron was still watching the possible threat.

"Wow. She's worse than Ginny when she's angry!" He commented quietly. We all started to laugh loudly, even Freddi and Alf as they had also met my feisty sister-in-law.

Eliza, just as last time, did not like our laughter. "What are you laughing at?" She snapped.

"Well hello Eliza! It's so nice to see you too!" I replied. We laughed, but she didn't find this funny at all, so I continued. "And Carver too! It seems that so much has happened since I last saw you. You must tell me everything. Are you together?" I pretended to be interested.

"We're engaged, actually!" She bragged. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she reached her left hand up to fix her hair, showing off an overlarge engagement ring. "Carvey is the co-CEO of a company." She added.

"That's so nice to hear!" I crooned. It took all my strength to hold back my laugher. If her hopeless attempts at bragging weren't funny enough, Ron, Freddi and Alf behind me were turning blue trying not to laugh, and Eliza didn't even seem to notice.

But her glare returned. "What were you laughing at?" She demanded again.

"This wise guy over here cracked a joke, that's all." I told her, elbowing Ron in the ribs good-naturedly.

She seemed to notice Ron for the first time. "Who's that?" She hissed.

"Her? Don't you remember? This is Fredrika, and her husband, Alf." I pretended to think she meant Freddi, taking the chance to prove that we had beaten her to it. (getting married.)

"Not her, Granger!" Eliza looked even madder now, knowing her engagement meant nothing. "Him!" She jabbed Ron in the stomach.

"That is _my _husband, Ron." I said, coolly pushing her arm away.

Eliza's fists clenched and Carver, who had been rather passive until now, set his jaw.

"You? Both of you? Married?" He asked, laughing without humor."

Rose and Hugo chose that time to come running up, with Asher and Olivia behind them.

"Mommy! Asher said—"

"Shh." I quieted them. "Yes. And we have kids."

"Kids!" Eliza almost screamed. "And I suppose their just as _abnormal _as you?" I couldn't tell whether that was directed solely at me, or for both of us, but it still hurt.

I squeezed Ron's hand tightly to keep myself from pulling out my wand. Haden had at least tried to hide her snarky comments, but Eliza and Carver were being just plain mean. I should have expected that though. Eliza, though she didn't used to talk much because she was flirting silently with Carver, had no limitations when it came to anything. Not in the way she dressed, or in the way she treated me. Even if her come-backs weren't incredibly witty, she had never stopped. Only Brittany could compare.

Speak of the devil. The door had burst open for the second time that night, and there she was. Her bleach blond hair was shorter now, straitened into a style that was made to look windblown but was obviously fake. She hadn't given up on the purple obviously, because she was wearing a strapless grey dress with large purple polka-dots, purple stiletto sandals, and purple eye shadow. Way too much purple eye shadow. People over thirty really should not wear that much make-up.

But what surprised me most was the man whose arm she was clinging onto. He was shorter than average and had dark hair, slicked back with grease. He was wearing all dark clothing. Dark jeans, a leather jacket, boots and sunglasses, despite the fact that it was hot out. The only light thing about him was the greasy white undershirt he was wearing.

It appeared though, that all that makeup around her eyes did not cloud her vision, and she spotted us immediately. Haden came through the door after them, her skirt swaying. Brittany must have been the last person.

Brittany halted next to Carver. "Granger." She spat.

"Brittany." I replied. "Who is this?" I tilted my head at her greasy boyfriend.

"Mr. T. Nice ta' meet ya, lil' lady." Lil' lady? Who spoke like that anymore? That was the most pathetic excuse for a fake dialect ever!

"Mr. T?" Fredrika asked incredulously.

"Now, Theodore—" Brittany started.

"What 've I told ya 'bout callin' me Theodore?"

"Fine." Brittany hissed. "Theo, darling, you're embarrassing me."

"Married! Kids!" I thought we were over the fact that I had a life and she didn't.

"Yes, Eliza." I said, slightly agitated. "But you and Carver. That will be a sight to see."

For once, Haden's timing was spot on. She had finally meandered her way over. "I see you've met Granger." She commented, looking mildly interested. Her expression reminded me of my dear old friend Luna Lovegood.

"Yes, she was just telling me about her engagement." I told her as if our fight had never happened.

"She was just telling me about her marriage." Eliza spat back.

"Ah, well I'm neither engaged nor married." Haden had calmed down a lot. "But my boyfriend is right here."

A tall blond boy with blue eyes walked up behind her. He looked very familiar.

"Oh." I realized. "Patrick. Hi. So you're together too?" I had always thought that Patrick would date Brittany. But Haden—I hadn't seen that coming.

"For a few years, yes." He replied. He was looking slightly awkward, glancing at Brittany every few seconds. She was making a show of not looking at him, but she too couldn't stop from glancing over a few times. (That was good though, because she couldn't even glare at me anymore.) This act reminded me slightly of my sixth year at school. Obviously they were not over each other.

"Yeah, me and Haden." Patrick repeated, unenthusiastically. Something about the way he talked. I felt like I knew him from somewhere other than Ramsgate Primary.

"Oh, that's lovely!" I crooned. "The five of you seem to still be in touch. Do you see each other often?" Well, really the four of them, but I didn't want to leave Brittany out.

"Well, Patrick and Carver work as co-CEOs of a company." Haden couldn't miss bragging there.

"Theo is a mechanic!" Brittany put in.

"What company is that?" Fredrika asked, ignoring Brittany's attempt to join the conversation. She had been rather quiet, but her face was set in a way that told me she was gaining confidence too.

"Lewis & Perks Sanitation Engineering." Eliza said proudly.

Sanitation engineering? How stupid did she think we were? Even though I hadn't read a muggle book in a while, I could remember what that was. Garbage services. Wow, that made "Mr. T" the mechanic look like a football star.

Fredrika, Alf and I burst out laughing. Ron and the kids looked mildly confused, or like the got it but didn't find it funny at all.

Eliza set her jaw. "I don't see what is so funny." She said angrily.

"You manage garbage men?" I squeaked in between laughs. Ron finally caught on, and he started laughing as well.

"Lewis and Perks Sanitation Engineering. Nothing more than I expected." Fredrika snorted.

I stopped. Time was moving in slow motion. Perks. Patrick Perks. Blond hair, blue eyes, they talked alike, they even had the same last name. My hands that had been clutching my stomach fell limply at my sides, my eyes were wide and my chin had dropped.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, looking worried.

I had forgotten where I was. I quickly shut my mouth.

"What is it, Hermione?" Fredrika asked, looking scared. She was squeezing Alf's arm, he looked confused.

"Perks." I muttered under my breath. I stormed past a haughty looking Eliza, an amused looking Carver and up to Patrick. "We need to talk." I told him, grabbing his upper arm and pulling him away from Haden.

"What are you doing?" She screeched. "Come back." But I didn't even turn around.

All I could think about was getting to some place where we wouldn't be disturbed. I had lost Haden in the crowd, but I had no doubts that she would find us eventually. As wrong as it sounds, I dragged a protesting Patrick into the family bathroom and locked the door.

"Sally-Anne Perks." I told him.

He suddenly looked defensive. "What about her?" He asked, a setting his jaw.

"Do you know her?"

"She was my twin. What do you want?" He snarled.

"Was…" I muttered. "She died when she was fifteen." Normally, I would have skirted around the topic, but I could care less about Patrick's feelings.

"How do you know—" A look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh."

"What school did she go to, Patrick?" I wanted him to tell me, so that I didn't blow the Statute of Secrecy.

"I think you know." He hissed back.

"What school?" I snarled, grabbing the lapels of his jacket threateningly.

"You know!"

"What school?" My face was just inches from his. He looked scared.

"Hogwarts." He whispered quickly.

"What is that a school for?" I demanded.

Patrick swallowed. He was backed up against the grimy wall, about to be attacked by me.

"What's it—"

"Magic." He breathed, cutting me off.

I let go of his jacket and backed away. His face was crumpled with what I thought was sadness. Suddenly, an emotion I never thought I'd feel for Patrick Perks flooded through me.

Pity.

I had never known Sally-Anne well. She was a Ravenclaw, and she seemed nice enough, almost the exact opposite of her twin, but not really the type of person I would have picked out as one of my friends. She was a muggle-born, and one of the few people to believe Harry about Voldemort coming back. That was a dangerous combination, and had the Ministry watching her. When she had spoken out against Umbridge one day, she had immediately expelled her, and she was sent home. Dumbledore had told me when I asked that she had been unprotected living with muggles, and so one day when she left to go to school, her family had reported that she never came back.

It was obviously just the sort of thing Voldemort or some of his minions would do. She had been murdered quietly, and no one but the Order and her family ever knew. And though I had never talked to her about anything more than the Arithmancy homework, I had cried for a girl who had been murdered in cold blood before she could even take her O.W.L.s because of who she was.

I took another step back. "I'm so sorry." I whispered.

Suddenly he replaced his usual sneer on his face. "Don't be."

"But—your sister! She was—"

"Murdered. Yeah, whatever. It's all for the better."

"Patrick, what are you talking about?"

"She was a freak. You're a freak. Your husband and children are freaks. It's good that she's gone."

"She's you're sister!"

"She's no sister of mine. Freaks are separated from normal people for a reason. They're no good."

That statement reminded me of something. It was almost exactly the way Harry had described his Aunt Petunia. But then, in the end, he had told me, she was nothing but jealous.

I set my jaw. "I don't know if you've been paying attention, but freaks saved the world 23 years ago."

"But they caused all the trouble in the first place, did they not?" He had me there. "Right. Now I try not to be in the same room as your kind so…" He tried to walk past me.

"No." I hissed. I leaned against the door, preventing him from leaving. For good measure, I pulled out my wand and pointed it at his throat. He looked a little bit scared, but soon his sneer was back. "No. I've seen this all before. You're nothing but jealous."

"Jealous?" He laughed a humorless laugh. "The day I'm jealous of your kind will be a sad day indeed."

"Then it's been quite a sad thirty years."

His sneer vanished, and was replaced by snarl. "You don't tell me how the last thirty years have been, Granger. I happen to think that they've been rather good. It's been thirty years since I had to go to the same school as you, thirty years since I had to deal with my sisters presence every day, and twenty five since I had to worry about her at all."

There was silence. All I could do was stare at him, incomprehensible fury pounding through my veins.

"Patrick? Patrick sweetie?" Haden called, knocking on the door. "Are you in there, Patty-Poo?"

That did it. I can't tell you exactly why, but suddenly, I was punching him, my wand forgotten on the floor. I was hitting him, slapping him, and pinching him, trying to hurt every part of him I could reach. This was beyond fury. This was pure madness, worse even than the time I had slapped Malfoy in third year.

"YOU BITCH!" I screamed, all dignity forgotten. "SALLY-ANNE WAS A BETTER HUMAN THAN YOU'LL EVER BE! SHE WAS BRAVE, AND SMART, AND STRONG AND ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET! SHE STOOD UP FOR WHAT SHE BELIEVED IN AND WAS MURDURED BECAUSE OF THAT! BUT YOU! YOU STAND HERE—YOU STAND HERE CRITICIZING HER BECAUSE YOU'RE JEALOUS! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE HAD TO GO THROUGH BECAUSE OF WHO SHE WAS! AND YOU CAN GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU BELONG!" I took one last punch at his face, hitting his nose with a sickening crack. I turned away from him roughly and picked up my wand. I wrenched the door open without even bothering to unlock it (thereby breaking the lock) and stormed past a furious Haden who had obviously heard everything. I "accidentally" trod on her toes as I past, making sure to dig my pointy heels into her exposed skin.

I pushed my way back to Ron and the others, who were still standing exactly as they had been before, despite the fact that it had been ten minutes.

"Hermione!" Ron said, relieved, but he stopped talking at my furious look.

"Hermione?" Fredrika asked bravely. She too knew what my bad moods were like. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

"That bastard!" Was all I could say. Brittany looked like she might have killed me, but she did nothing.

"What happened?" Ron repeated Fredrika.

"He knows about us." I stated. Hopefully that was cryptic enough that Fredrika and Alf wouldn't understand, but obvious enough that Ron would. Of course, Ron chose this of all times to be stupid.

"He knows about what?"

"Oh, for god's sake, Ron! His twin sister went to Hogwarts."

A look of understanding crossed his face. Everybody else looked surprised, except for Brittany.

"We have to go."

"That might be a good idea." Ron agreed.

"C'mon. Rosie, Hugo. We have to go now."

"Why?" Hugo asked.

"Just let's go!" I snapped at him.

He nodded very quickly.

"Wait! Hermione!" Fredrika looked worried.

"What?" I said a bit more roughly than I should have. I turned around and saw that she looked scared.

"Just—just please don't leave my here." Her bottom lip was quivering. She didn't want to break down in front of the five. But she had never been good at hiding her emotions.

It was true. If I left now, I would be leaving my best friend all alone with the angry five. My expression softened a bit. "Freddi, I don't know—"

"Please, Hermione! This is our only chance! If you leave now…" she whispered so only I could hear.

I understood her. Brittany and Mr. T was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. "You're right." I said. "This is our only chance." I turned to my family. "I'm sorry guys. It looks like we're staying. Just be warned though, I think I broke Patrick's nose."

Freddi, Alf and Ron threw their heads back in laughter, and I managed a weak smile. Rosie and Hugo looked incredibly embarrassed.

"You WHAT?" Brittany screeched.

"I punched him." I replied calmly.

This caused Ron to laugh even harder. "Just like third year." He snorted.

"You punched Patrick—" Brittany had to stop and think. "You punched him 37 years ago too?" She asked stupidly.

"No you idiot!" Ron backed up unconsciously because the strength of her newest glare. "At school in third year she punched this kid because he insulted one of our friends."

"So you're a violent freak too." Patrick commented. I hadn't seen him come up. It looked like he had re-set his nose, and he was holding a wad of toilet paper to it with one hand to stop the gushing blood. Haden was clinging to his other arm, looking like she was beyond fury.

"Do we really have to act like children?" Ron asked blandly.

"Maybe you should tell your wife that." Haden spat. Her fists were now clenched, and both she and Brittany looked like they were going to attack. Eliza just looked mildly amused.

"I don't think a fight would be a very good idea." I commented, pointing out their stances. "Ron and I happen to have a rather good amount of experience, and also, I punched him for good reason. He insulted his dead sister, who I happened to know." I said the last part through my teeth.

"Dead?" Brittany blinked, taken aback. "Oh, Patrick, you didn't tell me she was dead, I'm so sor—"

"Leave it." He commanded, smacking away the hand she had put out to comfort him.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Patrick." Haden commented.

"Yeah, well—you know. It never came up." He looked suddenly nervous. "Besides, she was never anything more than a disgrace."

"You—" I started, but was cut off by Haden.

"I thought," she said angrily, "That we agreed to have no secrets from each other."

"She wasn't a secret, I mean, anyone could have known."

"But nobody knew!"

An elderly lady who was most likely an older version of our old headmistress chose this time to step up on the podium.

"Um, Hello." She said into the microphone. "Hello. I'm sure you all remember me as Ms. Pickett, the headmistress during your years here. I would like to invite everyone to find a table so dinner can begin. Servers will come around with the food, and we will show a slideshow of some old photos while you eat. Thank you."

"C'mon, Haden. It's nothing." She glared at him, but took his arm no less. He smiled at her. "Do you guys want to get a table?" He asked the other five.

"You bet'cha man." Mr. T told him.

"Great." He replied, less than enthusiastically.

"Lets go get a table, shall we?" I asked Ron, Fredrika and the children.

"That sounds like a great idea. Can't wait for the food. I wonder what we're having!" Alf said, he normal enthusiastic personality had not been hindered, despite the fight that was brewing between us and the five.

We sat down at a round table in the back, covered in a crisp white table cloth. The four grown-ups sat on one side of the table, while the children sat on the other side. I noticed that the five plus one were sitting at the front, which was weird because they had never sat in front for anything before.

Ms. Pickett pressed a few buttons on an ancient looking computer, and suddenly, a projector I hadn't noticed on the ceiling started to show a slide-show of grainy pictures from my childhood to some quiet back ground music.

"Look!" Fredrika exclaimed, pointing at the current photo.

"Oh no." I smiled, embarrassed at the picture of me and Fredrika from our kindergarten year. My parents had still dressed me then, so I was dressed in all pink. My bushy hair was accentuated by the wind that must have been causing it to fly everywhere, even in chubby Fredrika's face. Her glasses were thick and ugly, and she was wearing an odd looking dress. Her sense of fashion had been "edgy" even then. We had our tiny backpacks on our backs, and we were hugging each other, smiling stupidly.

"We were so cute!" Giggled Fredrika.

"You were. I look like a brown haired yeti." I covered my nose and mouth with my hand.

"You looked like that until fourth year, Hermy." Ron informed me. I smacked him good naturedly on the back of his head.

"Oi!" He shouted, and we all laughed.

We continued to comment on the pictures until some servers dressed all in black came around, offering us various items off trays. There wasn't much in the way of "kid friendly" food, but I was pleased to see that Rosie and Hugo showed true Gryffindor spirit and ate it all, despite the taste.

Well, Rosie did.

"Ew!" Hugo cried, upon sampling a strange wad of leafy greens. "What is this stuff? It's disgusting!"

"It's just salad, Hugo. I'm sure you've had something like it before. I seem to remember them serving a good portion of vegetables at Hogwarts."

"No way! The food at school is way better than this! It always looks incredible, unlike this trash, and tastes even better!"

"Hogwarts food is quite good…" I amended.

Asher snorted. "Please. No school has good food. It's almost a law."

"Well Hogwarts is breaking quite a few laws then, because the food is the best I've ever tasted."

Asher rolled his eyes at Hugo's statement. "Would you _please _stop going on and on about your stupid school? I really don't care about it!"

Hugo's face was turning red. This was not a good sign, as he had inherited his father's hot temper and I could vividly remember that face from every time we had been near Malfoy. "My school is not stupid!" Hugo shouted, clenching his fists.

"But it's nowhere near as cool as my school."

I was shocked by this outright display of bullying. It was much worse than I thought! But before I could do anything to stop it, it continued.

"My school is better than you'll ever know."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because you'll never be able to even visit my school, let alone get in. They do a nation wide search for people they want to come to school, and then ask them. You're school you ask to go."

"But you have to pass a very hard test to get in."

"I could pass it. I know lots of things you have no idea about."

"Like what?" Asher demanded.

Hugo opened his mouth, but I interrupted him before he could say anything he wasn't supposed to.

"Whoa, Hugo! Asher! There's no need to fight!"

I looked at Fredrika to help me, but she only nodded. I couldn't believe it! She was watching her own son bully my son, and she was doing nothing about it! So I continued trying to keep the peace.

"Why are you yelling at each other?" I inquired. I meant it as more of a rhetorical question, but Hugo answered anyway.

"Asher was saying mean things about Hogwarts!"

"Well, Asher. I'm sure there's no need to do that. I'm sure Hugo doesn't say such mean things about your school." I expected him to hang his head and apologize, but no such victory came.

"That's because there's nothing bad to say about it."

"Yes there is!" Hugo insisted.

"Oh?"

"I'm just not as rude as you are!"

"Did you just call me rude?" Asher's voice was dangerous.

"Yes, I did. What do they teach you at that school of yours? Because at our school, we learn a thing or two about manners."

"That crosses the line!" Asher stood up, making like he was about to attack.

"Hey! Hey!" I shouted, throwing myself in between them. People were staring, but I didn't really care. All I wanted was for this not to turn into a fight. "Hey! Stop it! This is completely unnecessary!"

"When he insults my school action is necessary!" Asher said.

"I seem to recall you saying mean things about his school but he didn't get up and try to hit you." I reasoned.

"Stop protecting him 'cause he's your kid!" Asher demanded.

My mouth fell open in anger and surprise. I looked at Fredrika to do something, but all she could say was "Um…"

I couldn't believe this. "Aren't you going to do anything about this?" I asked of her. She said nothing, so I continued. "You're watching your son bully my son right in front of you, but you do nothing!"

"Hugo was being rude back." Fredrika stated.

My speech stopped working. This was my best friend, and she was raising her kids like it was ok to be completely mean to other kids. What kind of mother was she? For the second time that night, my vision was tinted red.

"What kind of mother are you?" I demanded, reckless with anger. Freddi's face started to crumple, but I kept going. "Are you teaching your children that it's ok to be a bully? I would expect so much more from my best friend! I'm sorry, but if you're going to be completely unreasonable about this, I'm going to have to choose my family over you."

Something about that set Fredrika off. "FINE!" She shouted. The whole hall was watching us silently now, so her shout echoed. "FINE! YOU CAN DO THAT, BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN ASHER, HERMIONE! EVER SINCE YOU WENT OFF TO THAT SCHOOL IT'S ALL YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT! HOGWARTS THIS, HOGWARTS THAT! ALL I EVER HEARD ABOUT WAS HOW GREAT YOUR NEW SCHOOL WAS! AND ALL IT TOOK WAS THREE MONTHS AT THAT SCHOOL FOR ME TO NOT MATTER ANYMORE! IT WAS ALL ABOUT HARRY AND RON! ALL IT TOOK WAS ONE TERM AWAY AND YOU CHOSE THEM OVER ME! AND I'VE HAD TO LIVE IN THEIR SHADOW FOR THIRTY YEARS NOW, ALWAYS FIGHTING TO STAY RELEVANT IN YOUR MIND! NOW HERE YOU ARE, DOING THE SAME THING YOU DID TO ME TO MY CHILDREN! YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITE! PRECIOUS LITTLE HUGO CAN BRAG ALL HE WANTS ABOUT HIS FANCY SCHOOL, BUT ASHER SAYS ONE THING AND SUDDENLY HE'S "UNREASONABLE." AND I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT HERMIONE! MY SUFFERING IS ONE THING, BUT HURTING MY CHILDREN IS COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT! I VOWED WHEN I BECAME A MOTHER THAT MY CHILDREN WOULD LIVE THEIR DREAMS AND I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM!"

Toward the end, her voice started to waver, and when she was done, she turned around and started sobbing into a mortified Alf's chest.

I had no idea what to do either, so I just stood there. Fredrika had never had an emotional melt down like that before. It was one thing advising Harry about Cho Chang's feelings, but when it was your best friend standing there, and you had to figure it out all by yourself, it was a lot more complicated.

The hall was still eerily silent, but suddenly from the table the five were at, I heard, "She's a feisty lil' lady!" The horrible fake gangster accent could only belong to Mr. T.

The table up front burst out laughing. If Fredrika crying had been one thing, the five laughing was completely another. It was the worst feeling ever to make your best friend cry, then have you enemies laugh at you.

"Not feeling so cool now, are you Granger?" I head Brittany say between guffaws.

"Fredrika…" I started.

"I don't want to talk to you!" she shouted.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Fredrika and I had been best friends for thirty-five years now. Would this little fight really be the end? After all I had done to try to keep her with me all throughout the years of never seeing her, the years of never even writing to her during Voldemort's return, I had ultimately failed. Hogwarts taken my life in a new direction, but in the end, I would have to choose between worlds. I had been prolonging that decision as long as possible, but it seemed that I had waited for too long, and the choice had been made for me.

I sighed in defeat and wiped the tears off my cheeks. "C'mon guys. I think we should go." My voice broke on the last word. Ron put a comforting hand on my shoulder, saying, "I'm sorry, Hermione." And we left just like that.

The drive home was completely silent. I sat in the passenger seat, letting Ron drive for once, not bothering to wipe away the tears as they came. When we reached the house, I got out of the car and walked strait inside, my eyes focused just on what was right in front of me. I pushed my way through the door and managed to change into my pajamas before the tears came.

I slumped down against the wall and started to sob. Once the first one came, there was no stopping them. I curled up in a ball on the carpeted floor and cried my eyes out. Just a few minutes ago, I had been developing another revenge plan to get the Five again, but now I could care less about that. They could remember me as a loser for the rest of their lives. I didn't care about revenge anymore. All I wanted was Fredrika back!

I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up, there was daylight streaming through the curtains and someone had picked me up and tucked me into bed. I felt awful. My ribs ached and my chest felt hollow. I was sure that my eyes were red and puffy as well.

All I could think about was Fredrika. Sure, I had always thought of her as my best friend, but Harry and Ron were my other best friends. For a while, they had even outranked her. But now, now I would give anything to have her back. Well, almost anything.

I stayed in bed all day. I would have gotten up and put on a brave face, but I just didn't have the energy. The only time I had ever felt worse were when I had to obliviate my parents, and when Fred, Lupin, and Tonks all died in one night.

Finally, when the daylight was starting to fade, I heard the door to my room creak open, and someone walked over to the bed with quiet Auror steps. Ron sat down on the bed next to me, and started to brush my hair back from my face. I stayed turned away from him.

"Hermione…" He started. He sounded nervous, and I knew why. He had always been the worst person I knew at dealing with emotions.

"Hermione, I know you're upset, but you've got to let go." I didn't say anything so he continued. "I know that you were really good friends with Fredrika and Alf, but you were both really mad, and when you started to stick up for your own son, she just snapped. Asher was being overly mean, and you did the right thing. I'm sorry that some people just don't understand morals."

I sighed and finally turned to face him. "We've been friends for 35 years, Ron. It just feels wrong that all it took was one little fight."

"I know how it feels."

"Do you?" I didn't believe him.

"Sure I do. All those times that I got really mad at Harry—Well, we hadn't been friends for more than a few years at all those times, but I already knew that he was going to be my best friend for life, and it just felt so wrong. Like I wanted to rush over and forgive him, but I didn't want to admit I was wrong, especially to him."

"And I got caught in the middle of it all." I whispered in response. That description was dead on about how I felt right now. I was furious at Fredrika, but I missed her so much already, yet at the same time, I just couldn't admit to anyone but myself that I hadn't been a very good friend to her for a while.

"Well, I'm stuck in the middle of your fight now, so I think we're even." He smirked, and I couldn't help but smirking back.

He pecked my lightly on the lips. "I'm not going to rush you. Come out when you're ready." He brushed my hair out of my face one last time and got up to leave.

"Ron, wait!" I called after him.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"I love you." I said simply.

"I love me too." He joked. Even if I thought it was impossible, that I would never laugh again, I chuckled lightly.

"I'm just kidding. I love you too 'Mione. Have a good nights sleep now. You could use one."

I didn't need to be told twice. I smiled at him as I closed my eyes. The last thing I remember after that his hearing the door close quietly, then I was asleep.

The next morning, when I woke up, I felt considerably better. Not perfect, my torso still felt rather hollow, but I chose to ignore it. I got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and, putting on a brave face, went downstairs.

The kitchen clock told me it was about 9:30 in the morning. Rosie and Hugo were sitting at the breakfast nook, eating bowls of cereal. When they heard me enter, they turned around looking wary of me, like I was going to break down again at any point.

But, determined not to let that happen, I grabbed my own bowl of cereal and sat down next to them. "Good morning!" I told them cheerfully.

"Hey Mom." Rosie muttered though her mouthful of soggy cornflakes.

"Sorry I wasn't around yesterday. What did you do?"

"Eh." Hugo shrugged. "Not much. We just sat around the house all day and talked to Grandma and Grandpa."

"They wanted to know all about Hogwarts. We were happy to talk about it of course." Rosie added.

"I do miss it quite a lot. I'm actually looking forward to the end of summer." Hugo thought outloud.

The talk of Hogwarts reminded me of Fredrika. A knot formed in my throat, but I kept on.

"That was nice of you!" I told them. Then, not knowing what else to say, I said: "How was that for you?"

"It was good. Talking about Hogwarts is almost like being there again. We told them everything we could think of. All our favorite foods, the dormitories, our friends and the teachers, what we do in classes, and even some of the gossip from the year." Hugo elaborated for me.

"They seemed to like hearing about it too. They said that you never told them much, and it was nice to finally hear the kinds of things that went on in your childhood."

"I told them lots of thing!" I said, affronted. "I told them all about my classes and friends. Maybe you told them more details though. It is much easier to talk to grandparents after all. The problem was I couldn't tell my grandparents I was a witch. Statute of Secrecy and all…"

Hugo nodded, and Rosie said, "That must have been hard."

"I guess…" I replied. "But I never knew them very well anyway. It might be because I avoided them because of my secret, but just be glad you have two lovely sets of grandparents and lots of cousins. I never had a big family. Except for the Weasleys. But they weren't really family until I married your father. Molly has always been my mother for purposes my mother couldn't handle."

We sat in silence until we finished breakfast. By that time my parents were downstairs. Ron came down too, and we chatted for a long time.

Finally, after lunch, I instructed my children and husband who acted like a child to go upstairs and pack the few things they had brought. Deciding that I really wasn't needed, I sat at the table with a cup of tea, thinking about all the good time Fredrika and I had had together.

An hour later, we were back in the car. I double checked that everyone had everything, then called goodbye to my parents, promising that we would be back to visit them soon.

As I drove down the street, I kept my gaze just on what was in front of me. Something about leaving town felt so final, and the notion that Fredrika and I were actually no longer friends came crashing down on me. I struggled once more to keep my cool. I would not break down in front of my kids, especially while I was driving.

Ron looked over at me, and noticed I was blinking back tears. Something about his face changed. "Whenever Harry and me had a row, it was almost always me getting mad, but I was always the one to get over it and apologize. We're still friends today."

That did it. We were just passing the corner Fredrika and I used to part at, and I slammed on the breaks. As I turned onto Cross Street, I said, "Sorry guys, but we're going to have to take a little detour."

With new energy, I drove down the road, determined to make things better. Without really thinking about it, I stopped right in front of the quaint yellow house of my best friend. I threw open the door and marched across her lawn, up the front steps and shoved my hand to where the doorbell was, but I suddenly stopped.

Just because I was apologizing didn't mean that everything was going to be better, like a fairy tale ending. What if Fredrika really meant it when she said she didn't want to talk to me? What if she refused even to open the door?

I sat there, rocking back and forth on my heels for a moment, my hand outstretched. But then, as always, my head filled with that familiar fiery courage. My Gryffindor instincts won, and I thrust my hand out the rest of the way. It hit the springy little button on the door frame, and I heard the resulting sound through the door. All I could do now was stand there.

So I did. And I waited. I tapped my foot impatiently. There was no way to tell exactly how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity to me, but then again, Ron and the kids were still in the car, and they weren't yelling at me to get going.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, vowing not to leave until I got a final answer. If she didn't come out soon, I was going to—

But then the door opened. I started where I expected to see the pretty blond locks of my best friend, but there was nothing there. I looked down, and saw Asher standing there. My eyes narrowed in dislike, but I quickly opened them wide again. There would be no point to this trip if I let my pride get to my head.

"Hello Asher."

He said nothing.

"Is your mother there?"

He sneered this time. "Coming to apologize?"

I set my jaw. "Yes, Asher. But there will be no point if you—"

I was cut off from saying something stupid by a familiar voice calling from inside the house.

"Asher? Who's at the door? I hope you're not being rude to them! You've already caused me to lose my best friend—"

Fredrika turned the corner, then stopped, her mouth open upon seeing me.

"Fredrika!" I said loudly, but caught myself and lowered my voice. "Freddi—I'm—I'm sorry."

"Hermione!" she screeched, running at me and tackling me into a rib breaking hug. "I'm sorry!" She sobbed, staining my shirt with tears. "I'm so, so sorry!"

I hugged her back as I felt my own eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at Asher."

All she could do was sob harder.

"You'll always be my best friend."

_You know, nothing hurts worse than losing a best friend.  
>I thought I could confide in you,<br>Tell you everything, but when I tried to tell you something, something I knew you wouldn't like to hear,  
>It ended up me losing the best friend I could ever ask for.<em>

_I know we had rough times,_  
><em>I know I did stupid things,<em>  
><em>But you were always the one to catch me when I fall,<em>  
><em>To help me when I was down.<em>

_I still remember the talks, the really REALLY long ones,_  
><em>The ones where we could just sit and talk about anything that was bothering us,<em>  
><em>Whether it been relationships, friendships, or…well anything basically,<em>  
><em>I know I didn't listen,<em>  
><em>But I can hear it now, the words that I thought were useless at the time,<em>  
><em>But now, as I look back, I realize that if I had listened to them then, I would probably still have someone to lean on.<em>

_I wish I had listened,_  
><em>I wish I had opened my eyes…or ears…and realized that what you told me was the truth,<em>  
><em>Even if it hurt me to hear the words coming from your mouth,<em>  
><em>I needed to hear the words,<em>  
><em>I needed to hear what you had to say, about him, about them, about LIFE.<em>

_I'm sorry,_  
><em>If you don't want to listen to me,<em>  
><em>Then fine,<em>  
><em>But just remember, you will always be my best friend.<em>

_~Tyrsa Goodwin_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I found that poem on the internet, and it was so perfect that I had to put it at the end. Is that not perfect? <strong>

**Wow. All I can think about right now is that its over. The story line is over, but I'm going to post one more chatper that WILL NOT CONTAIN ANY STORY! I need to respond to your reviews for this chapter, and I was just going to PM you but then I remembered that not all of you have accounts. So I'm going to post one more section that will just be responses to reviews to clear up any confusion. **

**But now, I would like to thank everyone whos ever reviewed my story, in one place. Here it goes: **

_**Anna Luna, Zapz, Rumbleroars Army, irezei, Cloggx, j1ack, jules, Lolee Ann, Vitzy, Midnightstar-and-Echosong, jeremiah123, anonomyus, penguincrazy, HarryPotterFanGirl, MissCHSprarkles, Me, kyler1991, sunny990, Jordan Main, Spawn of Sirius, 11FF1, SapphireLibra3, azee12, Call-me-Cassandra, MissDracoMalfoy1998, JenJens, Ellie, b00k-girl1, and lots of reviewers with no name. **_

**I would like to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. Its so nice to know that there are people out there that like my writing enough to take time out of their days to read it! I love you all! I can't believe it's all over! I think I'm going to cry! Thanks again so much to everyone! Reviews are, and always will be appreciated! **

**~Lulu **


	15. Author's Note

**AN: I'm not even sure why I bothered writing that because this whole chapter is going to be an AN. I'm just going to be responding to my last reviews and (as much as I hate plugs like these) I'm going to tell you about some of my upcoming stories. If you really want to comment on something I've said, you can review this chapter but just know I won't be able to respond back if you don't have a fanfic account, and therefore no PM. So, anyway, on with the reviews. **

_**Vitzy:  
><strong>_**Thank you so much! It really means so much to me that you've read this story and even liked it! I never even imagined when I posted this that people would be telling me it was an "incredible read" at the end. Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much. Yes, it is too bad that Patrick never came around, but he just can't get over the fact that his sister was so lucky and he wasn't. Honestly, I can't blame him for being jealous, I would be too! But just get on with your life, man! And about Carver and Patty working as garbage men, well, I just figured that the trash should stay with the trash. ;) Thanks again so much for reading! **

_**Anna Luna:  
><strong>_**I'm so glad Hermione and Fredrika made up too. This story has been about Hermione and the Fantastic Five most of the time, but I really felt like its been mostly about friendship, and Hermy and Freddi are the perfect example of a friendship that can last through just about anything. Patrick is a harsh person. I took a lot of inspiration from Aunt Petunia when writing him. Both of them were muggles that knew about the wizarding world, and that knowledge destroyed both of them. Honestly, if there was a wizarding world, I wouldn't want to know about it because knowing that something as great as that actually existed and I couldn't be a part of it would be so much worse than being blissfully ignorant. Hopefully though, I would be able to get over the jealousy instead of letting it destroy me like it did with Petty and Patty thought. I imagine that somewhere deep down, (very, VERY deep down) Patrick loved his sister and he's really sad that she's dead but all the jealousy is blocking his heart and he won't let anything other than hate through. But the reason I made his a garbage collector now was that I figured all the trash should stay together. ;) (I'm so glad you liked that part!) I'm really glad you found my story too. You were my first reviewer ever, and the only reason that this story go to where it is today. Thank you so much! I really can't express with words how much it means to me. **

_**Midnightstar-and-Echosong:  
><strong>_**Thank you so much for reading this story! It means so much to me that you liked it, and even reviewed! I'm really sad it's over too! It feels so weird not having to post chapters every week! I can't believe you actually think I'm a fantastic writer though! I really don't know what to say to that besides thank you! I can't tell you how much it means to me. Thank you so, so, SO much for reading! **

_**Jeremiah123:  
><strong>_**Thank you so much! You've reviewed almost every chapter and I'm so glad you did. I look forward to your reviews every week. Sorry about the speeling erorz. (I did that on perpos. (that too)) Thanks so much for reading my story! **

_**HarryPotterFanGirl:  
><strong>_**I'm glad you liked the happy ending. I was honestly debating whether Hermione and Fredrika should just break up forever, but I decided that they'd been friends for too long to let a little argument like that end them. I'm glad you like the clothes too. One of my favorite things about writing is putting the outfits together. I liked writing the part where Hermione gets pissed at Patrick the best too. It was so fun to write, but I ended up getting a bit too into the mood and I had to go to my room and punch pillows for an hour before I could calm down enough to write again. (Did I put that in the AN of the other chapter? I repeat myself a lot so don't get mad at me!) It's just so much fun to write about angry  
>Hermione! She's normally so and it's always really surprising when she had an emotional breakdown. The angry kind are funny though… ;) I do plan to write lots more now, but I'm going to answer that after I answer my reviews so everyone can see… Also, I did vote for Harry Potter. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen, and while I don't hate twilight either, I think that nothing could ever compare to that kind of master piece. I've read twilight a couple times, and I have to admit their addictive. I might even write a fanfic for it one day, but I doubt it. All it takes is picking up a Harry Potter book and I forget everything about vampires and those things they call werewolves. (Lupin is SO much better than Jacob, forget Edward.) Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Your reviews always have such nice things to say and those other little tidbits too. I love reading them! I could never tell you how much it means! Thank you SO much! Oh, and also, Sp<strong>**ä****tz****ü****nder is German, like Freddi. I'm working on learning German too, but I'm not very good so I had to use google translate. It means late bloomer, because Fredrika never really felt happy until after she was eleven, and only then could she really have friends. But like it says in Mulan, (which is possibly the best movie ever besides harry potter) "But look! This one's late! But I'll bet when it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of them all." **

_**Me:  
><strong>_**A career as an author. Wow. I can't believe you think this is that good! Thanks so much! I honestly love writing. I'm always so happy when I'm sitting down in front of the computer. If I happen to write something that is not fanfiction and it happens to get published, I'll let you know. ;) I'm really going to miss writing this story too! It feels so weird to not have to worry if the next chapter is good enough to be posted. I kind of miss that pressure now. It always gave me something to do. I honestly can't believe it's over either! After I finish responding to all these reviews, I'm planning to tell you all what I'm writing next, so just take a look down there. (Shameless plug) Thank you so much for reading this story. You reviews are so nice, and I look forward to reading them every week. I honestly can't tell you how much it means to me. Thank you SO much.**

_**Cloggx:  
><strong>_**Thank you so much! I really can't tell you how much it means to me to open my inbox and find a review from you every week. It really brightens up my day when I get reviews. Friendship is a kind of love, which according to JKR (and me) is quite possibly the strongest kind of magic in the world. If you want to read it again and again, by all means, go ahead! I don't mind! ;) I even tried to read this a couple days ago, but it's just impossible to read your own writing. I could get past the first chapter without being bored out of my mind! Well, anyway, thanks again so much for R&Ring! It really means so much to me. **

*******UPCOMING STORIES***** **

**Some people have asked me if I'm planning to write anything else, so I figured I'd answer it once instead of a couple times. The next story I should be posting is a one shot about Petunia being jealous of Lily called **_**Simple Things. **_**It should be coming out on Saturday. A week from today, I plan on posting another one shot which is basically a different version of the same thing called **_**The Epitome of Normal. **_**I just love writing Petunia's jealousy so much that one story about it wasn't enough. And even though I haven't written one yet, you can probably expect a third at some point.**

**I'm also currently working on revising the first fanfic I ever wrote which is Petunia's POV when Lily gets her Hogwarts letter. It's a lot like this story, except Petunia is the one being jealous the whole time. It's not quite as long as this one, but it's worse than cringe-worthy, so it won't be seeing daylight for a long time. **

**My favorite story to write at this time is about Lily coming home for Christmas of her first year. Petunia is really jealous of her, and so are Petunia's friends, (though they don't know about magic.) I think James Potter is going to come into that story at some point. **

**I also have one about Dudley's reaction when he sees Harry coming off the train after first year, and I think theres going to be a second chapter where he goes through Harry's trunk and sees all his magic things. **

**I might even write a fic for Victorious (my guilty pleasure). I have the beginnings of one about Haley and Terra, the girls from Karaoke Dokie. **

**I have the makings of lots of other fanfics, but these are the ones that might actually get finished some time in the next year. **

_**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER READ THIS STORY! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!  
><strong>_

**P.S. I'm so obsessed with Harry Potter that I even made a schedule for a first year and I'm working on figuring out the genetics of magic. Call me a nerd, but whatever. It's fun… **


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